Agro-summit will little influence mayoral race

In Kaohsiung, incumbent DPP Mayor Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) stands a better chance of winning although the KMT's candidate, Huang Jun-ying (黃俊英), seems to have gained ground, Chin said.

"Unless independent candidate Chang Po-ya (張博雅), who attracts mainly pan-blue voters, bails out of the game, Hsieh will remain in power," he said.

Ku also agreed with Chin that the DPP is not giving up the Taipei mayoral election.

"Widely seen as a litmus test for the presidential election in 2004, it's too important a battle for the DPP to lose," Ku said.

Ku said that the gap between Lee and Ma is not as big as various opinion polls have shown, although Ma stands a better chance of winning.

While predicting that the DPP will lose the Taipei mayoral election, Wu said that it is still too early to tell who will win in Kaohsiung.

"No one knows what will happen until the very last minute," he said. "Remember, former Kaohsiung mayor Wu Den-yi (吳敦義) of the KMT didn't know that he would lose the 1998 mayoral election until two days before the vote."