The "pan-blue" camp hopes to announce its joint candidate for the year-end Kaohsiung mayoral race by the end of the week, James Chen (陳建治), director-general of the KMT's Organization and Development Committee, said yesterday.
According to Chen, the KMT's nine-member nomination review committee could announce its choice of candidate for Kaohsiung mayor as early as tomorrow.
"Once that is done, we will sit down with the PFP to reach a consensus over a joint candidate," Chen said, adding that a consensus would be reached either through an opinion poll or negotiations with the PFP.
"If all goes smoothly, a joint KMT-PFP candidate will be decided this week without much ado," Chen said.
The PFP has selected its vice chairman, Chang Chao-hsiung (
Complicating matters is the number of contenders from the two parties as well the entry of former minister of the interior Chang Po-ya (張博雅) and former DPP chairman Shih Ming-te (施明德), both of whom are independents. The PFP has proposed that Chang and Shih should be taken into consideration as joint candidates for the "pan-blue" camp to take on DPP incumbent Frank Hsieh (謝長廷).
Chen declined to comment on speculation in a local Chinese-language newspaper that Huang Jun-ying would be the KMT's chosen candidate.
Meanwhile, PFP caucus leader Liu Wen-hsiung (
Liu said Chang would only withdraw with good reason.
"[Chang] has never insisted that he run in the Kaohsiung mayoral race," Liu said. "If the KMT's nominee has a greater chance of winning than Chang, then that would be a good reason for Chang to withdraw from the race."
While Liu did not rule out Chang Po-ya or Shih, he said there was some opposition within the party to Chang Po-ya's obscure political position.
Liu, nevertheless, reiterated that his party has maintained a high degree of flexibility concerning the mayoral candidacy and will not rule out any qualified contenders.
Once the KMT reveals its choice of candidate, Liu said his party would prefer to decide on the joint candidate through negotiation rather than opinion polls.
A Vietnamese migrant worker on Thursday won the NT$12 million (US$383,590) jackpot on a scratch-off lottery ticket she bought from a lottery shop in Changhua County’s Puyan Township (埔鹽), Taiwan Lottery Co said yesterday. The lottery winner, who is in her 30s and married, said she would continue to work in Taiwan and send her winnings to her family in Vietnam to improve their life. More Taiwanese and migrant workers have flocked to the lottery shop on Sec 2 of Jhangshuei Road (彰水路) to share in the luck. The shop owner, surnamed Chen (陳), said that his shop has been open for just
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TAKE BREAKS: A woman developed cystitis by refusing to get up to use the bathroom while playing mahjong for fear of disturbing her winning streak, a doctor said People should stand up and move around often while traveling or playing mahjong during the Lunar New Year holiday, as prolonged sitting can lead to cystitis or hemorrhoids, doctors said. Yuan’s General Hospital urologist Lee Tsung-hsi (李宗熹) said that he treated a 63-year-old woman surnamed Chao (趙) who had been sitting motionless and holding off going to the bathroom, increasing her risk of bladder infection. Chao would drink beverages and not urinate for several hours while playing mahjong with friends and family, especially when she was on a winning streak, afraid that using the bathroom would ruin her luck, he said. She had