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Primary not impossible: DPP sources

President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) has not yet given up the idea of negotiation as a means of selecting the Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) presidential candidate, but is prepared to have the candidate selected through a primary.

"The worst-case scenario is electing the final candidate in a primary," said a presidential aide who asked not to be named.

The official said that Chen would not take the initiative to negotiate for now, but would be happy to mediate if the four aspirants want him to.

"Now the president would like them to listen to the voices of supporters and decide for themselves," the official said, adding that many supporters have expressed concern over the infighting among the four contenders.

The official dismissed the speculation that Chen's move was aimed at backing Yu, who insists on holding a primary.

"The president does not have any preference for the final candidates and he is selfless in the negotiation effort," the official said. "The bottom line is to select the candidate with the best chance of winning the election with the lowest cost possible."

Presidential Office spokesman David Lee (李南陽) said that Chen was still trying to mediate among the four aspirants, but would not be totally averse to a primary.

Mediation

DPP caucus whip Wang Sing-nan (王幸男) confirmed that the president was engaged in mediation between the candidates.

Wang told a press conference that he had spoken to the president earlier yesterday and that the president had said he would continue holding negotiations.

Wang was responding to a front-page story in yesterday's edition of the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times' sister newspaper), which said that Chen would make no effort to coordinate among the DPP members vying for the presidential candidacy.

Quoting an unidentified source at the presidential office, the report said that Chen wanted the four, DPP Chairman Yu Shyi-kun, Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮), Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) and former premier Frank Hsieh (謝長廷), to compete in a party primary.

The report seemed to signal a change of heart from Chen, who earlier this month held two closed-door meetings with the four hopefuls in which he tried to persuade some of the candidates to drop out of the race.

The president's first attempt on March 9 failed, as Yu stuck to his guns, insisting that a primary be held to determine the party's presidential candidate because the four candidates' approaches differed so widely.

The other three contenders, however, agreed that the presidential candidate could be agreed upon through negotiation.

Campaign debates

In the second round of negotiations last Wednesday, all four agreed to participate in campaign debates and promised not to withdraw from the DPP or run on their own if they did not secure the nomination.

Wang said yesterday that it would be better for the DPP not to proceed to a presidential primary, which may spark internal disharmony.

DPP Legislator Gao Jyh-peng (高志鵬), meanwhile, said that it would be more accurate to say that the president saw himself as having completed part of his mission through the two negotiation sessions.

Next, Chen would like to allow the four to prepare for DPP policy debates and canvas support among party members, Gao said.

Acting DPP Chairman Chai Trong-rong (蔡同榮) said that, as the acting chairman, he would start preparing for a presidential primary.

Yu, at a campaign event yesterday, said he supported the president's idea to stop coordinating among the four hopefuls while allowing them to compete in the primary.

"It is the chairman's responsibility to defend party members' rights," he said.

"Democracy is a basic principle of the DPP. The election of a national leader should conform to democratic principles," Yu said.

Hsieh said that allowing the four contenders to compete in a primary would help end the disputes among them.
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