KMT rivals leave Keelung primary to single candidate

Keelung City Council Speaker Chang Tong-rong, second left, holds hands with Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus whip Hsu Shao-ping, center, and Keelung City Councilor Han Liang-chi, second right, after announcing that Hsu and Han would withdraw from the race for Keelung mayor, thereby making Chang the KMT candidate. PHOTO: CNA

Keelung City Council Speaker Chang Tong-rong (張通榮) became the Chinese Nationalist Party's (KMT) candidate for the Keelung mayoral by-election after two fellow party members dropped their bids yesterday.

KMT caucus whip Hsu Shao-ping (徐少萍) and Keelung City Councilor Han Liang-chi (韓良圻) jointly told a press conference that they had decided not to enter the KMT primary for the Keelung mayoral by-election.

Their move left Chang as the only person registered for the KMT's by-election primary.

He thanked Hsu and Han at their press conference for withdrawing and encouraged them to support his by-election bid.

The three posed for photographs while holding hands to show their united stance.

The by-election was scheduled for May 12 after Keelung mayor Hsu Tsai-li (許財利) died of complications caused by chronic heart disease and diabetes.

Acting KMT Chairman Wu Poh-hsiung (吳伯雄) and the party's Organization and Development Committee Director Liao Fung-te (廖風德) visited Keelung last week to negotiate with KMT members who had expressed interest in running in the by-election.

Hsu said senior KMT officials wanted her to focus on winning a KMT seat as legislator-at-large in the year-end legislative elections instead of running for Keelung mayor.

Chang said he hoped the KMT and People First Party (PFP) could decide on a common nominee for the Keelung by-election.

Thanking Hsu for her decision to withdraw from the race, PFP Legislator Liu Wen-hsiung (劉文雄) yesterday also expressed the hope that the KMT and PFP could coordinate on a candidate.

Liu said he would not declare his candidacy at this point because he wanted to leave room for the two parties to negotiate on a joint nomination.

Since the KMT and PFP were looking for common tickets for the legislative and presidential elections, the parties could start their cooperation with the Keelung by-election, Liu said.