The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) will hold a rally on Thursday next week -- the day Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) is inaugurated as president for a second term -- at which party Chairman Lien Chan (連戰) will deliver a keynote speech, a party spokeswoman said yesterday.
The venue has yet to be decided and KMT spokeswoman Kuo Su-chun (
"The KMT has prepared several plans for May 20 to protest President Chen Shui-bian's (
The protest rally is preliminarily entitled "Taiwan, let's continue to move on" and will be held at the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall (
Lien and People First Party (PFP) Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) will deliver keynote speeches, stressing the importance of pursuing the truth of the presidential election, according to Kuo.
Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), also a KMT vice chairman, said he would join the protest if the circumstances permitted, as he has to supervise Taipei's police on that day.
Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (
"I will act according to the law on May 20, and I will also respect the voices that ask me not to be present at the inauguration," Wang said.
Some members of his pan-blue camp have urged him to boycott the ceremony.
"The laws regulate that the legislative speaker needs to present the president with the national seal, yet it is not regulated that the legislative speaker needs to be present at the inauguration ceremony," Wang said.
Wang was still reluctant to comment on whether he would only present the national seal to the president in the Presidential Office but skip the inauguration ceremony.
"I will only do what is allowed, and after I do it, the public can comment on that," Wang said.
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