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Election fallout: Defeat could work to DPP's advantage, say observers

The Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) defeat in Saturday's elections may work to its advantage if it can get swing voters to the polls in the presidential election in March, political observers said at a forum in Taipei yesterday.

Lo Chih-cheng (羅致政), a political science professor at Soochow University, said that despite the low turnout in the elections, statistics showed that many more people normally vote in presidential polls.

"Getting voters out to the polling stations is a serious matter that DPP presidential candidate Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) must deal with," Lo said at the forum organized by Taiwan Thinktank yesterday afternoon.

The event was held to analyze the legislative elections, the new electoral system and its impact on the presidential election.

The DPP's defeat might not be a disaster for Hsieh, Lo said, because President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) resignation as party chairman means Hsieh could control campaign strategy.

Hsiao Hsin-huang (蕭新煌) said it was time for the public to switch their attention from Chen to Hsieh and his Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) rival Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九).

"Let's hear them talk about their visions, policies, achievements and performances," he said.

Hsiao said he doubted the KMT's newly elected legislators would earnestly help Ma's presidential bid.

He said it was understandable that the DPP had lost the legislative elections because the party has insufficient funds and was incapable of running the country.

Of the KMT, Hsiao said he had no idea why people supported a party that has failed to reflect on itself since it lost power eight years ago.

Li Ming-juinn (李明峻), deputy secretary-general of the Taiwanese Society of International Law, expressed concerns that the KMT, which now holds a two-thirds majority in the legislature, could pass a law sanctioning the party to sign a peace agreement with Beijing at the expense of Taiwan's sovereignty.
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