The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) supports a proposal to hold three local government elections simultaneously by the end of this year, but complementary measures should be in place to ensure that everything goes smoothly, party Chairman Su Tseng-chang (
New attitude
One day after President Chen Shui-bian (
Warnings
Citing warnings by Minister of Justice Shih Mao-lin (
"Complementary measures should be in place to ensure that the president's plan of reforming the country's electoral system does not go awry," Su said.
Criticism
Su, who will be responsible for the party's performance in various elections, had criticized the "three-in-one election" as a political ploy to ensure the defeat of the DPP in the local elections when Premier Frank Hsieh (
The premier had said that the move was to shave costs incurred from holding separate elections.
Su dismissed as nonsense speculation that the president's decision to support the premier in the dispute was an indication of the president's personal preference for Hsieh over Su as his possible successor.
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