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KMT legislator threatens to vie for DPP nomination

Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lee Sen-zong (李顯榮) yesterday threatened to leave the party and bid for the Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) nomination if the KMT failed to coordinate candidates for the legislative elections.

"I am not the only one in the KMT who's thought of doing that," Lee told a press conference.

Lee and KMT Legislator Wu Yu-sheng (吳育昇) are vying for the KMT's nomination for the first district of Taipei County, with the party nominating only one candidate.

"I am not bluffing ... many other KMT members are thinking of following Chen Ming-wen's (陳明文) model and running in the election as DPP candidates," Lee said.

Chen, commissioner of Chiayi County, joined and ran as a DPP candidate after he failed to secure the KMT's nomination in 2001.

"If the party prefers to stand on the sidelines and just watch us compete in a primary, I have to pursue other possibilities," he said.

The downsizing of legislative seats by half in the upcoming election has intensified competition in the KMT's primary and may give rise to a repetition of the so-called "Chen Ming-wen" model in districts that are traditionally regarded as pan-blue strongholds.

"The party's primary hasn't officially started yet. He [Lee] would only harm the party if he decided to quit the KMT," Wu said in response to Lee's remarks.

Meanwhile, KMT Legislator Lu Hsiu-yen (盧秀燕) yesterday urged the party to take care of the coordination among legislative candidates seriously.

"As the party is busy with the by-election for party chairman and coordination of presidential candidates, it seems to have overlooked the legislative election," she said.
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