Chen keeps the media guessing

The Presidential Office said yesterday that President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) would not choose his running mate until the DPP formally nominates him as its presidential candidate in December.

The statement came in response to pressure from the media to reveal who will land the vice presidential ticket after a debate between Chen and Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) put the issue into the spotlight.

"President Chen is not a candidate yet," an aide at the Presidential Office said. "The president will allow all possible choices to demonstrate their capabilities."

During a tea party with reporters to celebrate Journalists' Day on Monday, Chen and Lu discussed the running-mate issue.

"Since I am not the DPP's nominee, I have no right to announce the choice of vice president," Chen said.

Lu, however, said that the media could easily figure out Chen's decision by counting "who appeared alongside the president most often."

Chen said, "Although Lu accompanies me almost all the time, she is not always right about what I'm thinking."

Lu said she was aware of others seeking to appear beside the president but added, "I would like to stay away from such a game to give others a chance to win the president's favor. So, obviously I am not the one who accompanies the president most often."

Political believe that Chen's reasons for delaying his decision on a running mate are three-fold: to reduce any negative impact on the DPP's internal structure, to maintain Chen's profile as the head of state and to keep supporters and the media guessing.

"If the president announces his decision now, those who lose out may make trouble for Chen during the campaign," said Hu Wen-huei (胡文輝), a political columnist.

"The DPP has scheduled its national assembly meeting for December during which Chen will no doubt be nominated.

"If Chen chooses Taipei County Commissioner Su Chen-chang (蘇貞昌) as his running mate, then the government can directly assign an acting commissioner to take over Su's post because he has served more than half of his term, which means that the government does not need to hold a by-election," he said.