Lien says he'll stick with Soong

"Whether polls show that the Lien-Soong ticket is leading or lagging, they are there just for reference."

Lien Chan, KMT chairman

Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Lien Chan (連戰) yesterday dispelled suggestions he should ditch People First Party (PFP) Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) as his running mate for next year's presidential election and pick Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) instead.

"The cooperation between the KMT and the PFP is an `alliance of blood and iron,'" Lien said, using a Chinese idiom meaning firm and unshakable.

Lien made the remarks upon his arrival yesterday from New York. Lien was in the US to attend a memorial service for former first lady Soong Mayling (宋美齡), who died on Oct. 23.

Scores of KMT and PFP officials, including Soong, were at CKS International Airport to welcome Lien.

Lien said that the alliance between the KMT and the PFP and the pairing of Soong and himself on a joint ticket were decisions made not to serve personal interests but for the sake of the future of Taiwan's 23 million people.

The two parties would not allow the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to drive a wedge between them, he said.

Soong said his commitment to the alliance was solid and that he "will follow Lien's ideals all the way to the end."

The suggestion that Lien dump Soong came as the pan-blue ticket seemed to be losing the advantage it had held in opinion polls since Lien and Soong formalized their pairing in April.

A poll released by the Chinese-language daily China Times on Thursday showed President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) pulling ahead of the pan-blue ticket for the first time. The pro-unification newspaper said that the Chen-Lu ticket was leading the Lien-Soong ticket 35 percent to 34 percent.

Other polls suggested that Chen was narrowing the gap on his pan-blue challengers.

Lien attempted to play down the significance of the polls.

"Whether polls show that the Lien-Soong ticket is leading or lagging, they are there just for reference," Lien said, adding that the KMT-PFP alliance would not be disturbed by these polls and would continue to run a "high-quality" campaign.

But he nevertheless said that his alliance's campaign strategy could be adjusted as the election draws near to boost voter support.