To snare a pan-green camp majority in December's legislative elections, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) will adopt a conservative strategy, limiting the number of its nominations while seeking cooperation with its partner, the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU).
In a meeting on Friday discussing the number of lawmakers to be nominated, the DPP's legislative election campaign strategy team decided the party would not compete head-on with its TSU counterparts, a scenario that might otherwise result in unnecessary losses for the pan-green camp.
The DPP's strategy is to secure at least 10 seats more than the basic majority of 113 seats. The 123 seats would include legislators from each pan-green camp force, including the DPP, the TSU and independents.
The party therefore decided to nominate 92 legislative candidates for local constituencies in the expectation that around 80 of these could be elected.
Factoring in lawmakers-at-large, allocated according to the percentage of the vote received by the party, the DPP would then gain another 20 seats. The DPP is therefore aiming for 100 seats, which, when added to independents' seats and the 20 seats the TSU expects to win, would fulfill the party's goal of gaining a solid majority in the legislature.
DPP Deputy Secretary General Lee Ying-yuan (
Based on this support, Lee said, nominations for lawmaker for the December election had increased from the previous figure of 83 to 92.
In the 2001 legislative election, 69 out of the 83 candidates were elected.
However, Lee noted that even with the growth in pan-green support, the party had still decided to adopt a conservative approach with the number of nominees in order to avoid excessive competition with the TSU.
"We want to continue this collaborative yet competitive relationship with the TSU, which has worked out very well over the past three years. That's why we highly respect the TSU in expanding its number of nominations," Lee said.
Chen Chun-lin (
"Southern Taiwan is seen as the DPP's iron-clad vote. The DPP virtually hit a home run there three years ago when almost all of our candidates were elected," Chen said.
"This time around, however, it will be difficult to expand the vote for the legislative election. That's why we thought it would be better for the party to be discreet in increasing the number of nominations," he said.
In addition to adjusting the number of legislator nominees out of consideration of the TSU's interests, the DPP has also proposed establishing a group to integrate the campaign strategies of the parties.
Vote allocation
DPP legislative caucus whip Tsai Huang-liang (蔡煌瑯) yesterday suggested the party establish a mechanism to coordinate and integrate campaign tactics, including campaign materials and "vote allocations" between the partners.
The vote-allocation strategy refers to voters casting their ballots according to party instructions. For example, voters might cast their votes for one of two DPP or TSU candidates according to the last digit of their personal ID numbers. The strategy aims to distribute votes evenly between candidates and thus maximize the number of seats that can be won.
Tsai said the DPP and the TSU should not compete with one another to gain the most votes for an individual candidate; rather, he said, they should work together to gain the highest number of seats for the pan-green camp.
To achieve that, Tsai said the campaign managers of both parties would form a committee to resolve tensions or diverging interests between the two parties' candidates.
The DPP's nomination strategy has been approved by the TSU, which plans to nominate no more than 39 lawmakers, the same number of candidates the party nominated in 2001.
TSU Deputy Secretary General Chen Horng-chi (
"We respect the DPP's nomination strategy and we will work closely together in order to enable the pan-green camp to gain a solid majority in the legislature," he said.
Chen Horng-chi also said that the campaign and vote-allocation strategies proposed by the DPP reflected increasing cooperation between the two parties.
On the issue of a campaign theme, the TSU said it would focus on the forging of Taiwanese identity and the elevation of a Taiwan-based awareness.
To avoid running on a platform too similar to that of the DPP, TSU legislative caucus whip Chen Chien-ming (陳建銘) yesterday said Taiwanese identity was something both parties could agree on, but that the TSU would maintain its own position on certain issues.
Ethnic conflict
Chen Chien-ming's comments were in response to the prediction of a number of DPP lawmakers that President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) would neutralize the party's interpretation of "localization" to mend conflicts between the Hoklo (more commonly known as "Taiwanese") and Mainlander groups.
Chen Chien-ming said the TSU supported the broader sense of "Taiwanese identity" that includes all ethnic groups. However, the TSU would stand firm on its opposition to China.
For example, he said the party would oppose the government's policy allowing Taiwan's 8-inch wafer manufacturers and advanced semiconductor package-and-testing companies to invest in China.
On nominating lawmakers, Chen Chien-ming said the TSU would focus its strengths in the south of the country, while the DPP would work on northern Taiwan. This way, he said, the parties could complement each other's efforts.
Chen's remarks echoed DPP statements that the ruling party would focus its efforts on increasing its vote in northern and central Taiwan where the party has shown encouraging growth in support.
Meanwhile, Chen Horng-chi yesterday denied media speculation that the party would invite some media and political figures to join its election campaign. Names raised in media reports include Annie Lee (李安妮), the daughter of TSU spiritual leader and former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝), Wang Ben-hu (汪笨湖), host of the hugely successful pro-independence call-in show Taiwan Voice, and former health minister Twu Shiing-jer (涂醒哲).
Chen Horng-chi dismissed the reports as speculation, saying that the party hadn't been in contact with any of these people.
However, Chen Chien-ming yesterday told reporters that Wang, who enjoys considerable popularity in the south, had indeed been asked if he were interested in running in the legislative election. He said Wang had declined to run, but had expressed interest in running in the next Kaohsiung mayoral election.
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
UNILATERAL MOVES: Officials have raised concerns that Beijing could try to exert economic control over Kinmen in a key development plan next year The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) yesterday said that China has so far failed to provide any information about a new airport expected to open next year that is less than 10km from a Taiwanese airport, raising flight safety concerns. Xiamen Xiangan International Airport is only about 3km at its closest point from the islands in Kinmen County — the scene of on-off fighting during the Cold War — and construction work can be seen and heard clearly from the Taiwan side. In a written statement sent to Reuters, the CAA said that airports close to each other need detailed advanced
Tropical Storm Fung-Wong would likely strengthen into a typhoon later today as it continues moving westward across the Pacific before heading in Taiwan’s direction next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. As of 8am, Fung-Wong was about 2,190km east-southeast of Cape Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, moving westward at 25kph and possibly accelerating to 31kph, CWA data showed. The tropical storm is currently over waters east of the Philippines and still far from Taiwan, CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said, adding that it could likely strengthen into a typhoon later in the day. It is forecast to reach the South China Sea
WEATHER Typhoon forming: CWA A tropical depression is expected to form into a typhoon as early as today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, adding that the storm’s path remains uncertain. Before the weekend, it would move toward the Philippines, the agency said. Some time around Monday next week, it might reach a turning point, either veering north toward waters east of Taiwan or continuing westward across the Philippines, the CWA said. Meanwhile, the eye of Typhoon Kalmaegi was 1,310km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, as of 2am yesterday, it said. The storm is forecast to move through central
RSS