The director of the Chinese Nation-alist Party's (KMT) Organization and Development Committee has tendered his resignation to assume responsibility for the defeat of KMT candidate Huang Chun-ying (黃俊英) in the Kaohsiung mayoral election on Saturday.
KMT committee director Liao Fung-te (
"Many pan-blue voters would like to teach President Chen Shui-bian (
PHOTO: CHEN TSE-MING, TAIPEI TIMES
He added that the KMT failed to effectively combat its rivals' "serious vote-buying campaign" as well as manage allegations of vote buying brought against Huang by DPP Kaohsiung mayoral candidate Chen Chu's (
"We failed even if we only lost [to Chen] by one vote. [I] have to take responsibility for it," he said, adding that it was not a KMT custom for the party chairman to shoulder the blame for an election failure.
Liao said Ma had not yet approved his resignation and refused to comment on whether he would stay if Ma asked him to do so.
KMT spokesman Huang Yu-chen (
He added that Ma had instructed that bribery was seriously prohibited in the upcoming election of speakers for the Taipei and Kaohsiung city councils, which are scheduled to be held two weeks later.
Huang also dismissed media reports that said Ma failed to show strong support for the party's Taipei and Kaohsiung mayoral candidates.
In addition to Liao, the director of the KMT's Kaohsiung branch Hsu Fu-ming (
Hsu admitted that the KMT did not do as well in campaigning as the DPP did, adding that Huang lost the poll because he was "too moderate" and "did not understand the ugliness of politics."
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