The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) unveiled its legislator-at-large line-up yesterday, revealing that three contenders who have been labeled and boycotted by a group of deep-green supporters as "DPP bandits" are no longer shoo-ins for the seats.
The list for the year-end legislative elections was announced after the party worked out each candidate's score, calculated by weighting the results of the May 6 party member vote at 40 percent and the results of a public poll conducted between Monday and Wednesday at 60 percent.
Former Council of Hakka Affairs chairman Lo Wen-chia (
The DPP is expected to secure 12 legislator-at-large seats. Because the Constitution stipulates that no less than half of legislator-at-large seats must go to women, and a DPP regulation stipulates that a commission led by the party chairman may select one-third of the candidates, the three may not secure seats.
Hong, a leader of the party's disbanded New Tide faction, said he "accepted" the results, but added that the results were a reflection of the party's adoption of a polling system that had excluded "blue" supporters and swing voters.
"Failing once doesn't mean failing forever," Hong said in response to a question about the relatively poor performance of many members of the once-influential faction in the primary.
Hong said that if the party enlisted him, he would like to run for the DPP in districts that are pan-blue strongholds where no other party members are interested in campaigning.
Hong, Shen and Lo were among those labeled the "11 bandits of the DPP" in a campaign launched by deep-green grassroots supporters who called on DPP members to boycott them in the primary because they had openly criticized the party.
The support rate for Lo was 11.75 percent in the public poll, the top score, but he failed to place among the first four on the list as he garnered only 3.24 percent of party member vote.
Lo, who was one of President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) proteges, drew ire from some DPP supporters last December after he criticized Chen and the party's handling of corruption allegations involving the first family.
Shen said the line-up was not surprising.
"Actually the line-up was exactly what the party leaders wanted, as the exclusionary polling system was sure to bring about this result," he said. "People who are courageous enough for self-reflection and who have openly criticized the party are all out."
The first four male nominees on the DPP's legislators-at-large list are DPP Deputy Secretary-General Tsai Huang-liang (
On the party's list of female candidates, Council of Hakka Affairs Vice Minister Chiu Yi-ying (
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