Former premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) yesterday became the new chairman of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), easily beating his four opponents in a race that could have a major impact on the future direction of the party.
Su obtained 50.47 percent of the vote by 163,808 registered members, with former Tainan County commissioner Su Huan-chih (蘇煥智) coming a distant second, with 21.02 percent.
The 64-year-old will serve as the DPP chairperson for the second time, after a brief stint between February and December 2005.
Photo: CNA
Su Tseng-chang, who was regarded as the front-runner from the outset, now has to live up to his pledge in election-eve advertisements in local dailies calling for party unity as the DPP faces major mayoral and commissioner elections in 2014 and a presidential election in 2016.
The turnout rate of 68.62 percent — an all-time high for the party — was better than the expected 50 percent, the DPP said.
A total of 240 polling stations for four elections were set up around the nation between 8am and 4pm.
Photo: Wang Min-wei, Taipei Times
In addition to a new chairperson, party members selected regional office directors and regional and national representatives.
Despite the election being described as a “four-on-one battle against Su [Tseng-chang]” televised vote counting results showed that he pulled away early.
Former chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), who resigned in March following her loss in the Jan. 14 presidential election, cast her vote in Yonghe District (永和), New Taipei City (新北市), in the morning and said that organizational work at the grassroots level would be crucial for the new party boss.
Former vice premier Wu Rong-i (吳榮義) was third with 16,315 votes, or 14.73 percent, while former DPP legislator Chai Trong-rong (蔡同榮) and former DPP chairperson Hsu Hsin-liang (許信良) ranked fourth and fifth, receiving 11.28 percent and 2.49 percent respectively.
Hsu, who is on a hunger strike over three appeals to President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), was taken to a polling station by an ambulance yesterday morning.
Hsu told reporters that the DPP should revive the spirit of protest from its early era regardless of who is elected chairperson, or there would be no one to monitor the president.
Acting DPP Chairperson Chen Chu (陳菊) said she hoped that the new chairperson would be able to “handle the cross-strait exchange issue appropriately” and help the party regain its confidence.
The handover ceremony will be held on Wednesday.
At a press conference last night, Su Tseng-chang said the high turnout in the vote made this a win for the whole party.
Ma, acting in his capacity as Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman, sent Su Tseng-chang flowers to congratulate him on his victory yesterday.
Asked if he would meet Ma to increase cross-party dialogue, Su Tseng-chang said such efforts should be made if it meant improving the lot of the people, but that if such a meeting were just for show, he would decline.
Candidates who were close to Tsai secured important and symbolic victories in regional director elections, with Lo Chih-cheng (羅致政) scoring a surprise victory over Chang Hung-lu (張宏陸), a Su Tseng-chang confidant, in New Taipei City, and Chuang Ruei-hsiung (莊瑞雄) winning a three-way battle in Taipei.
FREEDOM OF NAVIGATION: The UK would continue to reinforce ties with Taiwan ‘in a wide range of areas’ as a part of a ‘strong unofficial relationship,’ a paper said The UK plans to conduct more freedom of navigation operations in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, British Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs David Lammy told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. British Member of Parliament Desmond Swayne said that the Royal Navy’s HMS Spey had passed through the Taiwan Strait “in pursuit of vital international freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.” Swayne asked Lammy whether he agreed that it was “proper and lawful” to do so, and if the UK would continue to carry out similar operations. Lammy replied “yes” to both questions. The
‘OF COURSE A COUNTRY’: The president outlined that Taiwan has all the necessary features of a nation, including citizens, land, government and sovereignty President William Lai (賴清德) discussed the meaning of “nation” during a speech in New Taipei City last night, emphasizing that Taiwan is a country as he condemned China’s misinterpretation of UN Resolution 2758. The speech was the first in a series of 10 that Lai is scheduled to give across Taiwan. It is the responsibility of Taiwanese citizens to stand united to defend their national sovereignty, democracy, liberty, way of life and the future of the next generation, Lai said. This is the most important legacy the people of this era could pass on to future generations, he said. Lai went on to discuss
AMENDMENT: Climate change is expected to increase the frequency of high-temperature days, affecting economic productivity and public health, experts said The Central Weather Administration (CWA) is considering amending the Meteorological Act (氣象法) to classify “high temperatures” as “hazardous weather,” providing a legal basis for work or school closures due to extreme heat. CWA Administrator Lu Kuo-chen (呂國臣) yesterday said the agency plans to submit the proposed amendments to the Executive Yuan for review in the fourth quarter this year. The CWA has been monitoring high-temperature trends for an extended period, and the agency contributes scientific data to the recently established High Temperature Response Alliance led by the Ministry of Environment, Lu said. The data include temperature, humidity, radiation intensity and ambient wind,
SECOND SPEECH: All political parties should work together to defend democracy, protect Taiwan and resist the CCP, despite their differences, the president said President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday discussed how pro-Taiwan and pro-Republic of China (ROC) groups can agree to maintain solidarity on the issue of protecting Taiwan and resisting the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The talk, delivered last night at Taoyuan’s Hakka Youth Association, was the second in a series of 10 that Lai is scheduled to give across Taiwan. Citing Taiwanese democracy pioneer Chiang Wei-shui’s (蔣渭水) slogan that solidarity brings strength, Lai said it was a call for political parties to find consensus amid disagreements on behalf of bettering the nation. All political parties should work together to defend democracy, protect Taiwan and resist
RSS