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DPP considering dropping primaries for next elections

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) on Wednesday considered a proposal to field nominees for next year’s city and county chief elections through a recruitment system.

A DPP panel tasked with developing an election strategy proposed to the party’s Central Executive Committee that nominees be selected by means of consultations to avoid the bitter rivalry and division that often occurs within the party during election primaries.

The proposal will have to be submitted to the party’s congress on July 20 for approval.

Chen Ming-wen (陳明文), a panel supervisor, said that if the congress commissions the Central Executive Committee to conduct the recruitment, then the committee would begin consultations with all the hopeful candidates immediately.

“But the strategy will be adopted just this once, because these elections are a matter of life or death for the DPP,” he said.

His remarks came in the aftermath of two major election setbacks — the Jan. 12 legislative elections and the March 22 presidential election.

Chen said that he hoped to find “suitable city and county candidates” through consultation and coordination so as to avoid any possible rifts within the party during the primaries.

But Chai Trong-rong (蔡同榮), a DPP legislator and a member of the Central Standing Committee, criticized the idea of selecting nominees using a recruitment process.

He said that the party usually short-lists candidates after assessments by party officials and then gradually moves on to the primaries.

The scrapping of the primaries for next year’s city and county chief elections would be a step backward, he said.
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