Premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) yesterday denied playing any role in Vice President Vincent Siew’s (蕭萬長) decision to not run with President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) in the next presidential election.
“Not a sentence [in the article] was true,” Wu said when approached for comment about the latest issue of the Chinese-language Next Magazine.
The weekly said Wu had used every means possible to force Siew into the decision and that Wu had purposely lost weight because he expects Ma to pick him as a running mate.
Wu said the report was “incorrect” and that he held Siew in high esteem.
Siew announced on Tuesday that he would not join Ma’s re-election bid, saying he wanted more responsibilities transferred to the next generation.
Siew’s decision prompted speculation that Wu could be named as Ma’s running mate.
Wu said he was in no position to comment on the issue because it was Ma’s decision.
In view of the speculation that Wu might be Ma’s running mate, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers questioned whether the move could violate laws on administrative neutrality.
While DPP Chairperson and presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday called the move the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) “own business,” and DPP legislators said that Wu should have to step down as head of the Executive Yuan before registering as a candidate.
DPP lawmakers said Wu has remained unclear about whether he would resign as premier before the campaign, which could open up questions about how government policy could remain neutral. Since this was a gray area, they said Wu should step down to avoid mishaps.
“We believe that Wu won’t quit as premier and he will use administrative resources to help his campaign,” DPP caucus chief Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) said, adding that the KMT caucus has so far opposed attempts to force Cabinet officials to step down before running for public office.
Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) said it was a “personal choice” whether Wu should to resign for Wu and that it “shouldn’t be a problem,” legally.
“Current law doesn’t forbid premiers from running without stepping down first,” he said.
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