In order to put a stop to the controversy triggered by his proposal to combine three local elections into one poll at the end of the year, Premier Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) announced after meeting with Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) yesterday evening that the Central Election Committee (CEC) will decide whether the new plan will be implemented.
"The government and the [DPP] have found common ground on reforms and are supportive of reforms," Hsieh said after meeting with Su for about 40 minutes at DPP headquarters yesterday evening. He said he and Su had engaged in a comprehensive discussion on the concept and background of the new election plan in their conversation. Su planned to visit Hsieh at 6:10pm at the Executive Yuan for the election proposal but Hsieh came to the DPP first at 5:50pm.
"We understand our party's stance on this proposal, which is that it hopes the government carries out the plan with complete measures and sufficient time," Hsieh said. "I believe the Taiwanese people share a sense that we just have too many elections, and that we get tired of them."
PHOTO: WANG MIN-WEI, TAIPEI TIMES
"We will commission the CEC to further deliberate on this proposal. In fact, it is also within the CEC's authority [to decide on the new plan], and I believe that they will make the right decision," Hsieh said.
Standing besides Hsieh, Su then added that the DPP supported reforms and hopes that they will be handled well.
"I think communication is the key to success and what we have done is to lead Taiwan in the right direction," Su said.
Su once again stressed the DPP supports the president's proposed plan, which is to hold elections every other year.
Earlier in the day, DPP Secretary-General Lee Yi-yang (
According to Lee, Su called Presidential Office Secretary-General Yu Shyi-kun on Wednesday evening to confirm that it was the president's idea to combine three elections into one. Yu told Su that he had no idea that the Presidential Office had such a plan, Lee said.
Lee said that the scheme President Chen Shui-bian (
"It was also a fixed plan that have been decided by the government and the party and it has become an important goal for the DPP, " Lee said.
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