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DPP members head to polls for election primaries tomorrow

Members of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) will go to the polls tomorrow as the party kicks off its presidential and legislative primaries, DPP officials said yesterday.

The officials said they expected a turnout rate of around 60 percent, or around 150,000 out of 254,000 party members. The results of the vote should be known by 10pm.

The member poll will count for 30 percent of the total score for each candidate in the presidential and regional legislative primaries, while a string of public opinion polls to be conducted from Wednesday to Friday will determine 70 percent of the candidates' scores.

The results of the DPP's presidential primary should be known by May 12 at the earliest, the officials said.

In an interview on SET-TV last night, President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) didn't reveal which DPP presidential aspirants he preferred, adding that the only thing he cared about was that "Taiwan has to win next year's presidential election."

"The four are all excellent, but only one of them will win [the primary], and the other three will lose. It has to be this," Chen said, referring to Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮), Premier Su Tseng-chang(蘇貞昌)﹐former premier Frank Hsieh(謝長廷) and DPP Chairman Yu Shyi-kun.

"But in 2008, Taiwan has to win. Taiwan can't lose,"he added.

Chen said that "they all asked for my support for their participation in the primary. But, as a president, I have to remain neutral."

He also rebuffed speculation that he favors Su over the other three, saying that he couldn't criticize Su because he is the premier.

Chen added that he would not insist that the first two candidates in the primary must pair up as the party had to respect the winner's choice of running mate.

Additional reporting by Shih Hsiu-chuan
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