Although most DPP heavyweights have suggested the party's presidential candidate, Chen Shui-bian (
DPP leaders said yesterday that party polls show that a Chen-Lu ticket would garner more votes than any other possible combination. At the same time, Chen has yet to succeed in wooing potential candidates from outside the party whom he has indicated he would prefer.
"Tainan City mayor Mark Chen (陳唐山), and former Chiayi County commissioner Chang Po-ya (
Chen went on to point out that Lu has greatly contributed to promoting Taiwan's position in the international community, which could help Chen to mitigate criticism from those who say he lacks international savvy.
"As an eloquent speaker and a prominent woman politician, Lu is a better choice than any other party member," Chen Chi-mai stressed.
However, other party faction leaders disagreed yesterday, saying Chen should not limit his choice to just a select few within the party.
"If Chen really goes back to finding a running mate inside the DPP, it reveals that Chen is facing trouble in making a breakthrough. As far as I know, Chen has yet to make a final decision," said Wu Nai-jen (吳乃仁), a National Assembly deputy and a member of the DPP central standing committee.
Wu and Chiou I-jen (
DPP lawmaker Chien Hsi-chieh emphasized that Chen is still consulting with DPP leaders about his running mate, and has still not given up on the idea of finding someone from business or academic circles.
"We can only say that Lu has more chance of being chosen right now," Chien said.
Although a number of senior party members appear to be balking at the idea, Chen looks very much as if he is heading in a fixed direction.
"Chen does have a designated choice. And some party heavyweights are insisting that Chen publicize his choice as soon as possible, if he has decided to select a party member," said DPP spokesman Lo Wei-chia (
Others in the DPP have suggested that Lu is not easy to negotiate with, as she is very opinionated and tends to dominate her dealings with others.
Lu herself, meanwhile, said yesterday that she was glad to contribute her ability in helping the DPP win the presidential election, and she appealed to the party to allow Chen to make his decision without rushing.
"We should give Chen more space to consider things," Lu said.
One member of Chen's campaign office added yesterday that Chen Shui-bian planned to announce his running mate before mid-October.
The Ministry of Transportation and Communications yesterday inaugurated the Danjiang Bridge across the Tamsui River in New Taipei City, saying that the structure would be an architectural icon and traffic artery for Taiwan. Feted as a major engineering achievement, the Danjiang Bridge is 920m long, 211m tall at the top of its pylon, and is the longest single-pylon asymmetric cable-stayed bridge in the world, the government’s Web site for the structure said. It was designed by late Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid. The structure, with a maximum deck of 70m, accommodates road and light rail traffic, and affords a 200m navigation channel for boats,
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