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DPP caucus asks Chen to mediate among hopefuls

In the face of increasing tensions among the Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) four presidential contenders, the DPP caucus yesterday passed a resolution calling for President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) intervention.

Joined by more than a dozen DPP legislators at a press conference, DPP caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) said caucus members were concerned about disunity arising from a possible presidential primary.

"The caucus members agreed that the four hopefuls and all party members must stay united in order to gain victory in next year's presidential election," Ker said. "Unity is the key factor in an election victory."

He called for Chen to coordinate negotiations between the four heavyweights, using a strong hand.

The resolution came in response to recent tensions among the four hopefuls -- DPP Chairman Yu Shyi-kun, Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌), Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) and former premier Frank Hsieh (謝長廷).

The caucus members were worried that recent bickering would cause unprecedented harm to relationships among the contenders and party members, and ultimately to party unity, said a statement issued by the caucus at the conference.

The resolution followed a joint statement issued by all seven DPP city and county chiefs on Wednesday that called for Chen's coordination of the four.

Chen earlier this month held two closed-door meetings with the four hopefuls in which he tried to persuade some of them to drop out of the race.

His 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.

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 as an independent if they did not secure the nomination.

A report in the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times' sister newspaper) on Tuesday said Chen had given up on efforts at coordination among the four, but Presidential Office Spokesman David Lee (李南陽) later said Chen was still trying to mediate among the four aspirants, but would not be averse to a primary.

When asked to comment on the selection system for the party's presidential candidate, Lu yesterday said she did not have anything to say until a consensus was reached among the four hopefuls during negotiations.

Members of the DPP's former New Tide faction, who enjoy a close relationship with Su, have formed a coalition with the former members of the Green Alliance faction and attempted to force through a proposal during Wednesday's Central Executive Committee meeting to change the presidential candidate's selection system to work in Su's favor.

Hsieh said it was natural that the contenders would want to see a system that worked in their favor, but he urged them to be more accommodating.

"That is the concept I have long been advocating -- co-existence and reconciliation," he said. "If we cannot do that within the party, how can we expect the party to reconcile with other parties and the country with others?"

Hsieh said that he was willing to compromise but only to the extent that he is still in the game.

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