Law may hamper PFP-KMT ties

Minister of the Interior Yu Cheng-hsien (余政憲) yesterday expressed his support for a TSU-sponsored amendment which would decree that presidential and vice presidential candidates running together must come from the same party.

The amendment to the Presidential and Vice Presidential Election and Recall Law is sponsored by TSU Legislator Chen Chien-ming (陳建銘).

The likely target

The amendment is likely designed to prohibit the two main opposition parties, the KMT and PFP, from fielding a joint ticket for the 2004 presidential election.

Chen, who plans to submit the amendment to the legislature today denied the charge, emphasized that his party is submitting the amendment to promote party politics.

And in a sign of Cabinet support for the amendment, Yu said during a legislative question and answer period that the Executive Yuan had already put forth a similar regulation.

"The Cabinet has also sought to uphold the concept of party politics," Yu said in a response to Chen's question in the Home and Nations' Committee.

PFP Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) outlined a proposal for forming a united KMT-PFP team for the 2004 presidential campaign last Friday, but refused to speculate on whether he would share a ticket with KMT Chairman Lien Chan (連戰).

The proposal, however, alarmed "pan-green" parties, which include the TSU and DPP.

Under the current Presidential and Vice Presidential Election and Recall Law, Article 21 states that presidential and vice presidential candidates running together should jointly register for the election, but the law is unclear as to whether the two candidates are required to be from the same party.

Chen's amendment states in no uncertain terms that political parties may only nominate their own members as party representatives and that therefore, both presidential and vice presidential candidates running together are required to be from the same party.

DPP legislative whip Wang Tuoh (王拓) said that the DPP caucus would support the TSU amendment, while legislators from opposition parties are quite upset about it.

"We don't support the amendment because of the concerns for elections. We simply want to promote the concept of party politics."

"If the KMT and PFP want to cooperate together for the presidential election, they could merge as one party, which I think would be good for them," Wang told reporters in the legislature yesterday.

KMT not pleased

Diane Lee (李慶安), PFP's caucus whip, argued, "Why doesn't the amendment just state that Lien and Soong can't run for the presidential election," responding to reporters' questions.

KMT caucus whip Lin Yi-shih (林益世), emphasized that the KMT would definitely not support the amendment.

"Why can't two parties cooperate? Does this mean that parties should fight all the time?"

"We want to promote the concept of political accountability. If Lien and Soong run together for the presidential election, it would mean that the KMT and PFP would have to jointly take responsibility for their positions," Lin said.