The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday proposed cooperating with the People First Party (PFP) in the legislative nominations through run-off polls and repeated its call for pan-blue unity, moves which showed no sign of mending the rift with the PFP.
The KMT reportedly began discussing the possibility of cooperation in legislative nominations with the PFP in March. However, the PFP challenged the KMT over its lack of effort in negotiations over possible joint nominations and said it would present its own legislative nomination list.
KMT spokesperson Lai Su-ju (賴素如) yesterday said the KMT was still willing to talk with the PFP -regarding legislative nominations and the legislators-at-large list, adding that the two parties can finalize candidates in districts that haven’t completed the nomination process through public run-off polls.
“The time for negotiations on the legislative nomination list has passed, so now the KMT will follow the three principles we proposed and seek the joint nomination of candidates who have the best chances in the election,” she said.
KMT Secretary-General Liao Liou-yi (廖了以) on Monday suggested three principles for KMT-PFP cooperation, including joint nominations in districts where candidates have not been finalized, talks on nominees in districts for which the KMT has already completed the nomination process and discussions on the legislators-at-large roster.
Lai said political commentator Li Chien-nan (黎建南), who was expected to win the PFP’s nomination as a legislative candidate in Kaohsiung, expressed willingness to enter into negotiations and compete with KMT Legislator and legislative nominee Huang Chao-shun (黃昭順) for support in a run-off poll.
The handling of legislative nominations by using run-off polls could become a useful collaboration mechanism for the KMT and the PFP in the nomination process, she said.
As to PFP Chairman James Soong’s (宋楚瑜) reluctance to work with the KMT, Lai said the KMT would not give up in its efforts to communicate with Soong in seeking the PFP’s cooperation.
Soong, once a close ally of the KMT, has been at odds with the KMT after King Pu-tsung (金溥聰), executive director of President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) campaign office, filed a lawsuit against him for accusing King of staging fraudulent public opinion polls during Soong’s 2000 presidential campaign.
Former PFP legislator Liu Wen-hsiung (劉文雄), a close aide of Soong, described King as the KMT’s “biggest sinner,” who had sabotaged the traditional mechanisms of the KMT and did not want to seek cooperation with the PFP or the New Party.
KMT spokesman Charles Chen (陳以信) yesterday urged Liu not to attack the KMT with “emotional words,” and repeated the party’s call for a united pan-blue camp.
“Mr King is a KMT member and his legitimacy in serving the KMT is not an issue. The elections next year are crucial and the pan-blue camp cannot afford a split. We urge all forces to come together and fight for victory in the elections,” he said.
Meanwhile, at a separate setting yesterday, DPP spokesperson Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) said the party would be open to the idea of collaboration with other parties in some more difficult constituencies in Taipei that still don’t have a DPP candidate.
When asked whether cooperating with the PFP is being considered, Chen said the two parties could discuss proposals for jointly fielding candidates, but maintained that no related talks have either taken place or are in the planning stages.
“It’s still too soon to speak on what could happen between the two parties in the future,” he said.
Additional reporting by Vincent Y. Chao
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