President Chen behind in pre-election polls

Support rates for the joint ticket formed by the opposition KMT and PFP would lead any type of slates that the ruling DPP fields in next year's presidential race, results of a recent survey showed.

The joint ticket expected to be formed by KMT Chairman Lien Chan (連戰) and PFP Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) would win about 8 percent over a ticket comprising President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮), according to a public opinion poll conducted by Trendgo Poll Center.

The poll, conducted by telephone April 10 to 11, found that the Lien-Soong ticket would beat another DPP slate comprising President Chen and Premier Yu Shyi-kun 40.7 percent to 32.3 percent.

If President Chen teamed up with Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), chairwoman of the Cabinet-level Mainland Affairs Council, the DPP presidential ticket would receive a support rate of 27.5 percent, compared to 43.6 percent expected to be received by the Lien-Soong slate, according to the poll results.

According to the poll, 38.3 percent of the respondents would like to have the ruling party changed after the 2004 presidential election, while 32.4 percent hope that the DPP will remain the party in the Presidential Office.

Forty percent of the respondents said they would feel more comfortable with the country's economic prospects if Lien were elected president and 20.4 percent said President Chen assured their confidence in Taiwan's economy.

On who will be the nation's gravity of political stability, 35.8 percent pinpointed Lien, compared with 24 percent for President Chen.

The random telephone poll was conducted April 10 to 11 among Taiwan residents aged over 20. It recovered 1,019 valid replies, with a margin of error of 3.1 percent.