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KMT holds councilor primaries

Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman Ma Ying-jeou casts his ballot at Chinghsin Elementary School in the primary to choose KMT candidates in the year-end Taipei city councilor elections. PHOTO: CHEN TSE-MING, TAIPEI TIMES

The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday held primaries for its nominees in the year-end Taipei and Kaohsiung city councilor elections.

The KMT nominated a total of 28 candidates in Taipei and 17 in Kaohsiung. The director of the KMT's Taipei office, Pan Chia-sen (潘家森), said that the party will try to win a majority of the Taipei City Council's 52 seats.

The People First Party (PFP) nominated five candidates in Taipei and four in Kaohsiung.

The KMT currently occupies 24 seats on the Taipei City Council, while the PFP holds three.

The new "single member, two vote" system for legislative elections will put smaller political parties like the PFP at a serious disadvantage, which has prompted many PFP legislators and city councilors to switch their allegiance to the KMT to obtain the KMT's nomination.

The pan-blue allies have been seeking to coordinate their efforts in both the year-end elections and next year's legislative elections, but have so far failed to reach any agreement.

KMT Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday tried to maintain his neutral stance prior to the primary, and demanded city councilor candidates should not use photos taken with him in their campaign ads for future party primaries.

Three female hopefuls, including KMT City Councilor Li Keng Kui-fang (厲耿桂芳), Wang Shin-yi (王欣儀) and Lin Yi-hua (林奕華), tried to boost their support at the last moment by following Ma when he cast his vote in the Wenshan District yesterday morning -- a move that prompted the chairman to demand that they "not use me as a living ad."

Ma also took the opportunity to call on party members to stay clean and free of corruption, stressing the party's regulations that members who are indicted will be banned from running in any future elections as KMT candidates.

"Integrity is the people's highest expectation for their government. I hope that all KMT members understand [such expectations]," he said after casting his vote.

appeal to soong

Meanwhile, KMT Taipei mayoral candidate Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) yesterday urged PFP Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) to declare whether or not he would run in the Taipei mayoral election.

"We can't negotiate with the PFP and come up with a cooperation mechanism unless PFP Chairman Soong makes it clear whether he wants to run in the race or not," Hau said yesterday after casting his vote at Taipei's Shihlin Elementary School.

Hau said that before the two parties can work out a plan to integrate the pan-blue camp, he will focus his efforts on attracting voters' support in the Taipei mayoral election.
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