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Post-Election 2008: Hsieh to step down as DPP chairman

Former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) will step down from his position as party chief tomorrow, a Hsieh campaign spokesman said yesterday.

Chao Tien-lin (趙天麟) said that Hsieh would keep the promise he made before the election.

Hsieh told supporters shortly after his loss on Saturday night that he would "keep every promise" he made in the run-up to the election.

He had said he would quit politics if he lost the election.

Hsieh won 41.55 percent of the ballots cast, against the 58.45 percent garnered by his Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) rival Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九).

It is also customary at the DPP for the party chairman to bear responsibility for an election loss by resigning from the post. Hsieh succeeded President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) as party chairman following the party's defeat in the legislative elections in January.

If Hsieh does resign from the chairmanship tomorrow, the party's Central Standing Committee would have to select an acting chairman to fill the vacancy until a new one is elected in May.

Several contenders to replace Hsieh have been mentioned by the media, including his running mate Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌), former DPP chairman Yu Shyi-kun, Presidential Office Secretary-General Yeh Chu-lan (葉菊蘭) and former DPP legislator Luo Wen-chia (羅文嘉).

Chao yesterday said that Hsieh was glad that the vision he laid out for the country during the election received a positive response from the public and that Hsieh would continue to work with the DPP and with other opposition parties and social groups.

Chao said Hsieh might establish a framework to achieve the vision but details were still being arranged. Hsieh will continue to deliver speeches expounding his ideas domestically and abroad, Chao said.

Su denied yesterday that he was interested in the party's top job, saying he had held the position before.

"At such a critical moment, the party desperately needs someone who is bold and resolute in conducting reform and who can handle party affairs fairly and fervently," he said. "I believe the party is as keen as I am to see such a person emerge and I will give the person my full support."

DPP Legislator Gao Jyh-peng (高志鵬) said that Su was not qualified to serve as acting party chief because Su is not a member of the Central Standing Committee.

Emphasizing that Yu was also once the party leader, a Yu staffer also dismissed the speculation that he was keen on the position, saying that Yu was neither interested nor planned to run for the post.

Luo and Yeh were unavailable for comment yesterday.

Gao, however, said that it would do Luo more harm than good to spread such a rumor.

Meanwhile, Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu (陳菊), a DPP member, apologized to Kaohsiung residents, taking responsibility for Hsieh's defeat in the city during the presidential poll.

Although Hsieh served as a two-term mayor in the city, he lost to Ma by 28,885 votes in Kaohsiung.

When approached for comment, Chen Chu said the party needs to conduct a thorough self examination if people in the city were unable to see the DPP's administrative achievements over the past decade. However she declined to comment on who may become the DPP's next leader, adding that she was not interested in the position.

Additional reporting by Flora Wang
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