KMT Chairman Lien Chan (
Lien later told a news conference that he looks forward to competing against President Chen Shui-bian (
Lien was accompanied by KMT Vice Chairman Wang Jin-pyng (
According to KMT presidential-primary regulations, Lien must first obtain the endorsement of 50,000 party members.
Wang, who heads a KMT panel to help Lien win the party's nomination, said his panel will do its utmost to collect signatures from as many members as possible.
Registration for the KMT primary will end next Tuesday.
Lien said although the KMT has reached a consensus with the PFP to field a joint ticket for next year's presidential and vice-presidential elections, the party must still follow its own internal nomination procedures.
Lien said he feels compelled to seek the presidency again to help the KMT stage a comeback and to help the country reinvent itself.
The KMT chairman claimed that since the party lost power in May 2000, Taiwan has declined in various fields.
"We hope to push for a second transition of power so that Taiwan can return to the right track and direction," he said.
Noting that Chen is known for a distaste for mudslinging and negative-campaign strategies, Lien said he longs to joining forces with the president in making the upcoming presidential campaign a tasteful and high-quality affair.
Asked by reporters whether he would publish a book detailing his interactions with his one-time mentor -- former president Lee Teng-hui (
Instead, he said he will present new visions and policy initiatives for the nation's development.
The Taipei Department of Health yesterday said it has launched a probe into a restaurant at Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store after a customer died of suspected food poisoning. A preliminary investigation on Sunday found missing employee health status reports and unsanitary kitchen utensils at Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in the department store’s basement food court, the department said. No direct relationship between the food poisoning death and the restaurant was established, as no food from the day of the incident was available for testing and no other customers had reported health complaints, it said, adding that the investigation is ongoing. Later
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