Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) spokesman Shu Chin-chiang (
"Based on our estimates, our support will surely exceed the 10-percent level and we are moving toward our target of 15 percent," Shu said yesterday.
Shu said southern Taiwan, where the party's localization line is popularly embraced, appears to be where the majority of TSU supporters reside. "But in the final week, we will not tilt our campaign efforts to any particular region, because no district can be relinquished."
From today until Friday the TSU's campaign tour will cover almost the entire country. While mainly popular in the south, Shu claimed that the party is also doing fairly well in urban areas such as Taipei City.
"The reason for the TSU candidates' relatively weak showing in polls taken in Taipei City is due to the large number of candidates. But this does not mean we will do poorly there," Shu noted.
"There will be no so-called `dump-save effect' (
Despite the doubts of other parties, the TSU official said that "he was quite optimistic" about the outcome of the elections because "its popularity is steadily climbing."
Given the strong support of former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝), the newest pro-Taiwan group has become rather influential in the three months since its establishment. Lee implemented the localization and "Taiwan first" strategies during his 12 years in power and the TSU has pledged to continue with Lee's political legacy.
According to recent polls conducted by the TSU, nearly 60 percent of the respondents approve of Lee's re-emergence to stabilize the political scene. And such support grows stronger the further south one goes.
In contrast to residents in the south, where people are predominantly Taiwanese, residents in Taipei -- where ethnic groups include mainland Chinese, Hakka and Taiwanese -- show lower support for Lee.
Even so, results show that 17 percent of Taipei City residents support the TSU, as do more than 40 percent of Taipei County residents. The TSU's approval rating is 40 percent in the central region and rises to 60 percent in the counties of southern Taiwan.
TSU officials freely admit the key to their success hinges on how effectively it transfers the public's love for Lee to its candidates.
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