The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is mulling overturning a policy that would draft local councilor candidates aged 35 and younger to run in next year’s councilor elections, as veteran members have opposed the policy.
The party in April announced that it would nominate young or immigrant candidates without primaries to fill 11 vacancies created when DPP councilors were elected to the Legislative Yuan
However, there are reportedly more than 100 candidates in the six special municipalities seeking nomination, and the fierce competition has created opposition to the age-based policy, which critics have said might benefit only a few young people with notable family backgrounds while depriving seasoned DPP members of a nomination, potentially causing them to run under other parties.
DPP Legislator Chen Ming-wen (陳明文), director of the party’s election committee, yesterday said that the party was mulling renouncing the age-based policy in favor of offering young people preferential treatment in seeking a nomination.
The proposal would require all candidates to compete in a primary election regardless of their age, in which the candidate with the greatest support would win the nomination, Chen said.
A polling handicap of 10 percent would be offered to candidates who have never participated in an election and to those aged 35 and younger, with a 20 percent maximum total boost, he said.
The proposed policy could be applied not only to the 11 constituencies that need to be filled, but all precincts in the six special municipalities, he added.
However, the proposal is still being discussed, Chen said.
As preferential treatment for young candidates offered in DPP primaries had failed to help them compete with their more seasoned rivals, the party crafted the age-based policy to draft more young candidates.
Asked if a return to the old primary system would indicate a failure to reform the party’s nomination policy, Chen said the DPP remained committed to helping young people get involved in politics.
“Although reactions to the [age-based] nomination policy were mixed, all candidates understand the DPP’s goal of encouraging youth participation in elections, which has not changed,” Chen said.
The nomination policy is expected to be finalized at the party’s national congress on Sept. 24.
Separately, the party said it plans to raise NT$70 million (US$2.3 million) to fund next year’s election campaigns, which are to be the first major polls since President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) took office last year.
Total spending — including advertising, organization, opinion polls and mobilization of resources — has been estimated at NT$63 million, it added.
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