President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) will announce Premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) as his running mate for next year’s presidential election tomorrow, according to sources in his party, paving the way for the first large-scale presidential campaign event at the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) national congress next Saturday.
According to Ma’s campaign office, Ma, who doubles as KMT chairman, will announce the party’s vice presidential candidate at a press conference at the office tomorrow morning.
Sources in the KMT confirmed Ma’s selection of Wu as his running mate and said Vice President Vincent Siew (蕭萬長), who announced last month that he would carry out his 2008 campaign promise and only serve one term, is expected to attend the press conference to show his support for the Ma-Wu ticket.
Wu, 63, has had close interaction with Ma in the past few months to bolster his chances of the vice presidential candidacy. His deep connections with grassroots supporters in southern Taiwan as a former Nantou county commissioner and legislator representing Kaohsiung is believed to be among the major reasons behind his selection as Ma’s running mate.
Amid Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) calls for Wu to tender his resignation to focus on the presidential campaign, KMT officials said it was unlikely that Wu would step down and prompt a Cabinet reshuffle.
The KMT Central Standing Committee is scheduled to approve the Ma-Wu ticket on Wednesday. Party officials and delegates will gather at the congress next Saturday to campaign for the pair.
Ma’s main counterpart in the presidential election, DPP Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), remained tight-lipped about her running mate yesterday, saying she would listen to different opinions before making a decision.
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