DPP working out party's budget for next year's presidential campaign

The DPP has targeted around NT$100 million as the ceiling for a special fund for next year's presidential campaign, although the party is slated to finalize the exact amount of the fund by next month, a high-ranking party official said yesterday.

"In 2000, we allocated around NT$80 million for the special fund with which the party financed its presidential candidate. This time, we estimate that a fund of around NT$100 million will be needed for next year's election," DPP Legislator Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘), chief of the party's finance committee, told the Taipei Times.

Various party departments are now preparing their budgetary estimates for next year's election campaign, Ker said.

Ker stressed that the special fund is designed to allow the party to finance its presidential candidate during the election, while the candidate himself is expected to raise funds for the campaign as well.

DPP Deputy Secretary-General Lee Ying-yuan (李應元), however, said yesterday that it is too early to estimate the exact amount of cash needed to fill the campaign fund, since the party's departments are still mapping out their campaign plans.

Lee said the party is slated to hold an inter-departmental meeting within the next two weeks to discuss the exact budget estimate needed by each department.

Lee said the party has allocated NT$7 million for publicity campaigns this year as the presidential-election campaign is expected to pick up speed beginning in July or August.

Party members will be assigned to seek donations from the private sector as part of a move to fill the special campaign fund for next March's election.

Some analysts have expressed concerns that the sluggish local economy may impact the private sector's willingness to finance the party's campaign, while others argue that the DPP's position as the ruling party may be conducive to fundraising campaigns.