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DPP, PFP officials deny election cooperation plan

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and People First Party (PFP) politicians denied yesterday a report by a Chinese-language newspaper suggesting that the two parties are planning to cooperate in the year-end mayoral and magistrate elections.

Commenting on the report, DPP legislative caucus leader Lai Ching-teh (賴清德) said he had not heard of any such proposal being discussed by the party's leadership.

Lai pointed out that such cooperation would have to involve many difficulties because it would lessen the chances of DPP politicians who wish to take part in the elections and would damage the DPP's cooperation with its ally, the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU).

DPP support for a PFP candidate in the elections would likely also turn pan-blue voters away, which would benefit the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), Lai said.

Echoing Lai, PFP Legislator Liu Wen-hsiung (劉文雄), who is planning to run for mayor of Keelung, said it would be unlikely that the PFP and the DPP would cooperate in the elections in light of the obvious ideological differences between the two parties.

Lu Hsueh-chang (呂學樟), another PFP legislator, said the KMT and the PFP would have little chance of winning if the alliance fell apart.

Liao Feng-teh (廖風德), head of the KMT's Organization and Development Committee, said his party will continue to monitor the situation to see if there is any substance to the report.

Another KMT official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that the KMT is prepared to recommend joint candidates with the PFP in the year-end elections and has revised rules to facilitate such cooperation.

However, if the PFP wishes to cooperate with the DPP, the KMT will not object to it, the official said.

According to the report, the possibility of the DPP and PFP cooperating in the elections rose after last week's meeting between President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and PFP Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜).

The report claimed that the two parties had reached a consensus on cooperation in Hsinchu County and might expand their partnership to Hsinchu City, Miaoli County and Keelung City. All these localities are currently controlled by the KMT.

In one scenario, the PFP might support the DPP's candidate in Hsinchu County in exchange for the DPP's support for its candidate in Miaoli County.
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