President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) yesterday said it was not him but grassroots supporters who wanted former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislator Luo Wen-jia (羅文嘉) to stand in the legislative elections in January.
Chen said his wife was once against his own election bids but in the end "put the interest of the whole above everything else."
Chen said he believed Luo would discuss the matter with his wife, who would also "put the interest of the whole above everything else" and let him stand in the election.
Chen made the remarks in Lujhou City (蘆洲), Taipei County, yesterday morning.
Chen said he realized elections are hard and understood why his and Luo's wife begrudged the toil they had to endure. He said that first lady Wu Shu-jen (吳淑珍) had once asked for a divorce because of his candidaciess but he had thanked her and respected her for "donating" him to the 23 million people of Taiwan.
Chen said he thought the young people the DPP have recruited to run in the legislative elections are outstanding but they should start as city councilors and gradually accumulate political capital.
He said he recognized and respected Luo's courage to stand in the district legislative elections because the constituency has traditionally been a stronghold of the pan-blue alliance led by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT).
He also praised Luo's decision to renounce his candidacy for a legislator-at-large as a "great" and "rare" decision.
Luo on Wednesday abandoned his bid for a legislator-at-large seat, but fell short of promising to stand in the district legislative elections.
Luo, who originally revealed on his Web log that he was interested in running for the legislature in Taipei's Da-an District (大安) constituency, said he needed time to discuss the issue with his wife, who is vehemently opposed to the idea.
Chen has invited Luo to replace Kao Chia-yu (高嘉瑜) -- a former aide of Luo's -- in the constituency. The DPP's Central Executive Committee on Wednesday agreed that Kao could withdraw from the election. Kao said that she would endorse Luo if he is interested in the bid and is nominated by the party.
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