Chen, Lee election backing will boost Hsieh, says official

President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and former president Lee Teng-hui's (李登輝) campaign push for Kaohsiung Mayor Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) last night is expected to considerately bolster his re-election bid, according to a DPP official.

DPP Deputy Secretary General Michael You (游盈隆) admitted that the distance between Hsieh and KMT rival Huang Jun-ying (黃俊英) is shortening, but he said Hsieh is still leading the polls by 5.6 percent, according to a survey released by the party yesterday.

You predicted that the appearance of Chen and Lee -- their first meeting since their dispute over the reform of grassroots financial cooperatives -- will lift Hsieh's support by at least 5 percent.

A DPP poll last week indicated that Hsieh led by around 10 percent.

The party official said the Hsieh's support was hit by KMT and PFP's decision to throw their weight behind Huang the pan-blue's dirty tricks campaign against the mayor.

But You said the recent polls showed that voters in Kaohsiung are not easily influenced by mudslinging.

The official added there is still room for Hsieh's popularity to rise further given that up to a quarter of the voters remain undecided.

Chen and Lee's double act was decided Monday evening to consolidate the pan-green camp and to end the rumors that the relationship between Chen and Lee was strained in the wake of an policy about-face on financial reforms.

In contrast to the campaign in Kaohsiung, the DPP appears to have a tougher battle on its hands in Taipei because Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), who is seeking a second term, has led the polls since the beginning of the campaign.

The DPP was reluctant to reveal its polls, but other surveys showed that Ma is leading DPP candidate Lee Ying-yuan (李應元) by more than 20 percent.

You stressed that the party places the same emphasis on the Taipei and Kaohsiung campaigns, dismissing speculations that the party has given up hope on Lee to concentrate on Kaohsiung.

The official said Chen and first lady Wu Shu-chen (吳淑珍) will spare no effort in working for Lee's bid in the runup to the election.

While the president said he was confident about the Saturday election, it is apparent that the party is under tremendous pressure for fear of losing both mayoral seats in Taipei and Kaohsiung amid a backlash against the government's performance.

Leaders of the KMT and PFP have urged the people to shun the DPP and show their dissatisfaction over the party's two-year administration.

It is traditional for the DPP party chairman to step down in response to an election failure, but party officials noted it is unnecessary for Chen to follow this rule since the party amended its charter this year.