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KMT wins city councils' leadership

Taipei City councilors prepare themselves for the swearing-in ceremony outside the Taipei City Council yesterday. PHOTO: FANG PIN-CHAO, TAIPEI TIMES

The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) won the Taipei City Council speaker and deputy speaker elections yesterday -- but not as handily as expected.

Incumbent Speaker Wu Bi-chu (吳碧珠), a KMT member, won re-election by gaining the votes of all 30 pan-blue councilors, while Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) challenger Lee Chien-chan (李建昌) got 18 votes.

The KMT's nominee for deputy speaker, Chen Chin-chiang (陳錦祥) tied with his DPP rival Chou Po-ya (周柏雅) in the first round, with each getting 19 votes. Chen won in the second round by one vote.

As the biggest party in the city council with 24 seats after the Dec. 9 election, the council speaker and deputy speaker elections should be an easy victory for the KMT, with the support of the New Party and People First Party.

But dissatisfied with the party's nomination process, KMT Taipei City Councilor Chiang Nai-shin (蔣乃辛) also insisted on running for the speakership. She withdrew yesterday morning, but she still got 10 votes in the first round and five in the second round.

"I don't know who voted for me and I am not allowed to say, according to the law. What's more important is that the KMT won the elections," Chiang said afterwards.

Pan Chia-sen (潘家森), head of the KMT's Taipei branch, acknowledged the party's failure to coordinate all pan-blue councilors in the council election, but would not say whether the party would take disciplinary action against its members who voted for Chiang.

"We will reflect on the election results. There are many ways to handle those who failed to follow party rules," Pan said.

The KMT candidate for the Kaohsiung City Council speaker's post, Chuang Chi-wang (莊啟旺), won because of a last-minute pact with independent Councilor Huang Shih-lung (黃石龍), who was elected deputy speaker.

Additional reporting by Flora Wang
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