Only two of three candidates for the KMT Central Standing Committee election from "Ma troop" -- Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Ma Ying-jeou's (馬英九) top aides and supporters -- won seats on the party's key 31-member decision-making body.
The two successful candidates were KMT Legislator Wu Yu-sheng (
Former deputy Taipei mayor Ou Chin-de (
KMT Legislator Hung Yu-chin (
Legislators made up more than half of those elected, including legislative caucus head Pan Wei-kang (
Incumbent committee member Lien Sheng-wen (
A total of 106 candidates ran in the election, and 1,395 party delegates cast their votes around the country.
Ma yesterday denied that the party had prepared a list of preferred committee members before the election, and restated his determination to wipe out bribery in the party's elections.
"There are many ways of campaigning in the elections for central committee members ... The party does not nominate or promote any candidates. We don't have preferred candidates, either," he said after casting his vote at KMT headquarters.
The KMT has revised its regulations, requiring that candidates not send out gifts or buy votes in elections.
During the campaign period, three candidates had to withdraw because of bribery allegations.
"I can't say that the election was 100 percent [clean], but I think we made big progress compared with past elections," Ma said.
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