KMT Chairman Lien Chan (
Lien said the KMT's nominee list for legislator-at-large candidates will demonstrate the party's commitment to reform.
"The KMT is a democratic party now. There isn't a single person -- not even the party chairman -- who can select candidates for legislators-at-large," Lien said.
Lien noted that the KMT will for the first time allow members of its Central Committee to vote on Sept. 29 to select the legislator-at-large candidates.
"This will be the first time that the slate is decided in a democratic manner. I hope that everybody will cooperate to accomplish this goal," Lien said.
Lien made the remarks during a weekly meeting of the party's Central Standing Committee in response to doubts expressed by the party's vice chairman, Wu Poh-hsiung (吳伯雄).
Wu is also a member of a nine-member panel in charge of screening the qualification of contestants vying for the party's at-large legislative seats.
Wu said it has been widely reported that the party leadership has a list of favored candidates.
He also said the KMT is facing unprecedented difficulties in the upcoming legislative elections, and it should present a list of promising candidates for legislators-at-large, so as to boost the party's morale and highlight its new image.
"The KMT must be serious about the matter and should not yield to the threats of local politicians as it has done in the past," Wu said.
Wu said he may even quit the panel if he feels the candidates for legislators-at-large are decided unfairly.
The legislator-at-large seats are allocated to political parties based on their total share of the vote in the legislative elections, and each party prepares a list of candidates to fill those seats.
In the past, these seats were often treated as "rewards" doled out to local politicians to ensure their support during election campaigns.
Politicians who were on good terms with a party's leaders also enjoyed a better chance of winning the nomination for the coveted seats.
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