DPP candidates wrap up by-election campaigns

"I appeal to the people who support me to vote enthusiastically tomorrow, as the margin could be just a few thousand votes."

Yu Shyi-kun, candidate for the DPP chairpersonship

The three Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairperson hopefuls yesterday made their final appeals to voters ahead of today's by-election.

The election comes in the wake of the resignation of former Chairperson Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌), who stepped down to accept responsibility for the party's setback in the "three-in-one" local election on Dec. 3.

The DPP will announce the results at 8pm tonight at a press conference attended by the three candidates -- former Presidential Office secretary-general Yu Shyi-kun, Legislator Chai Trong-rong (蔡同榮) and former Changhua County commissioner Wong Chin-chu (翁金珠).

Yu, who yesterday visited the party's members in Taoyuan County, said that the election may be determined by a very close margin.

"I appeal to the people who support me to vote enthusiastically tomorrow, as the margin could be just a few thousand votes," Yu said yesterday, estimating the minimum votes needed to be elected is 70,000.

The DPP has about 530,000 members, but only some 230,000 are eligible to vote in today's election. The rest have failed to pay their annual fees to the party.

Chai, a veteran of the independence movement, stumped in southern Taiwan yesterday, visiting with local party members during the day and holding a campaign rally in Kaohsiung City last night.

Meanwhile, Chai's campaign team was busy yesterday arranging transportation to take his supporters to the polls.

"There will be about 300 volunteers giving our supporters rides back and forth [to polling stations] all day tomorrow. We hope to help more than 10,000 people," a source with Chai's campaign team told the Liberty Times yesterday.

Wong made an appeal to the party's members not to be swayed by any factions of the party.