The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) headquarters yesterday called on its members to report bribery cases ahead of its Central Committee members’ election next month.
In the election, to be held on Sept. 9, about 2,000 party representatives are to elect 210 Central Committee members among themselves, with incumbent members to be nominated by default by KMT chairman-elect Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) or former KMT chairwoman Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱).
Local media have reported that KMT members wanting to become candidates have been “rampantly” bribing party representatives in the hope of securing signatures.
According to election rules, KMT members qualify as candidates as long as they gather seven signatures, even without a nomination by Wu or Hung.
The signatures are reportedly being sold at more than NT$10,000 each.
Some influential committee members have reportedly formed alliances to mobilize members of their factions to vote for candidates in certain camps in exchange for votes for certain candidates, thereby consolidating their support base.
Some “independent” candidates have reportedly paid to join the alliances, in some cases allegedly spending hundreds of thousands of New Taiwan dollars.
Wu, responding to requests for comment on the allegations in a news conference last month, said it was natural for party representatives to vote for their friends.
KMT Culture and Communications Committee deputy director-general Hung Meng-kai (洪孟楷) yesterday said that the KMT headquarters encourages all party members to report cases of “signature buying.”
It is against the party’s election convention, signed by all candidates, to form vote-exchanging alliances or attend banquets organized to canvass votes, Hung said.
“The KMT headquarters hopes that the election will be carried out in a fair and open manner and will not condone or acquit such actions,” he said.
Wu is expected to nominate Central Committee member candidates this week, he added.
Additional reporting by Shih Hsiao-kuang
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