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Parties to go all out for election

Both the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) are preparing to go all out in the campaign for the Jan. 12 legislative election.

DPP officials said that President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), who also serves as DPP chairman, had already visited 73 constituencies around the country once and was planning to embark on a second round of campaigning yesterday.

Chen will try to cement seats in 30 hotly contested constituencies, including the largest -- 12 constituencies in Taipei County -- and those constituencies in which DPP candidates have to compete with their KMT rivals as well as rival candidates from the "pan-green camp" led by the DPP.

DPP officials said Chen will accompany legislative candidates to canvass votes and attend their rallies. Frank Hsieh (謝長廷), the DPP's presidential candidate, will also help stump for legislative candidates.

According to the officials, the new "single-member district, two-vote system" (單一選區兩票制) is not favorable to the DPP and the party will need to make great efforts to achieve its goal of securing 35 regional seats and 15 at-large seats.

The legislative elections will produce a streamlined legislature of 113 seats, with 73 regional seats, 34 at-large and overseas expatriate seats, and six Aboriginal seats.

Meanwhile, a KMT public opinion poll conducted late last month showed that although KMT legislative candidates led their DPP rivals in most constituencies, the number of undecided voters was high.

KMT officials said that as pan-green camp voters were usually less willing to express their views when polled, they could add uncertainty to the election result.

Meanwhile, district prosecutors in Changhua County subpoenaed a township council representative yesterday for questioning about his role in an alleged vote-buying case.

Chang Hui-chiung (張慧瓊), a deputy chief prosecutor with the Changhua District Prosecutors Office, said a councilor surnamed Chen from Changhua's Puyen Township (埔鹽) was subpoenaed after two residents in the township confessed to receiving cash from Chen, who had been offering NT$3,000 per vote to help a legislative candidate in Changhua get elected in the Jan. 12 legislative polls.

Chang said a group of policemen, under the leadership of a prosecutor, raided Chen's home and an automobile company that he runs in Puyen on Dec. 30 after the Changhua District Prosecutors Office was informed of alleged vote-buying involving Chen and four other suspects.

During the raid, the police and prosecutors discovered campaign vests, banners and printed pamphlets, all carrying the name of the legislative candidate, according to Chang.

The Changhua prosecutors instructed Chen to report for questioning on Dec. 31, but he failed to appear.

The other four suspects were questioned, two of whom were acquitted after they categorically denied having received any money from Chen, Chang said.

The two other suspects, who admitted to having received money from Chen, were each released on NT$30,000 bail, according to Chang.

The incident marked the first suspected vote-buying case reported in Changhua involving this year's elections.
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