KMT, PFP reach tentative pact on Keelung election

The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and People First Party (PFP) have reached a tentative agreement to jointly field a candidate based on the results of public polls to run in the Keelung mayoral by-election, PFP spokesman Lee Hung-chun (李鴻鈞) said on Saturday.

Lee said that KMT Secretary-General Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) telephoned the PFP to express the KMT's willingness to select a common candidate to represent the two parties to vie for the Keelung mayoral post, which was left vacant by the death of former Keelung mayor Hsu Tsai-li (許財利).

Hsu died last month at the age of 60 from complications caused by chronic heart disease and diabetes.

The by-election will be held on May 12.

However, Lee pointed out that the tentative agreement requires that the potential candidate enjoy at least a 3 percent lead over his rivals in poll results before he or she can be backed by the new KMT-PFP alliance.

Liu Wen-hsiung (劉文雄), a PFP legislator who has announced his intention to run in the Keelung mayoral by-election slated for May 12, said that there should be be only one pan-blue candidate to avoid needlessly splitting the camp's voter support.

Keelung City Council Speaker Chang Tong-rong (張通榮) became the KMT's candidate for the mayoral by-election after KMT caucus whip Hsu Shao-ping (徐少萍) and Keelung City Councilor Han Liang-chi (韓良圻) said during a joint press conference earlier this month that they had both decided against entering the KMT primary for the mayoral by-election.