The KMT yesterday denied reports that it has reached a consensus with the PFP to back the Kaohsiung mayoral candidacy of Chang Po-ya (張博雅), former minister of the interior who might run as an independent.
James Chen (
One of the conditions is that PFP Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) must persuade Chang to drop her bid if her support rating lags behind a KMT contestant, Chen said.
"If Soong doesn't have the ability to do so, he shouldn't encourage Chang Po-ya to run, as this is unfavorable to the future cooperation between the KMT and PFP," he said.
The KMT and PFP have recommended their respective contestants to vie for the KMT-PFP joint candidacy for Kaohisung mayor, namely former vice mayor of Kaohsiung Huang Jun-ying (
But Soong has proposed that the two parties take into consideration other candidates as well, such as Chang Po-ya and former DPP chairman Shih Ming-teh (施明德), to be able to assess which candidate would have the best chance to beat the DPP incumbent, Frank Hsieh (謝長廷).
It is widely reported that Chang Po-ya -- strongly recommended by Soong -- would eventually win the support of the KMT and PFP.
Local media reported yesterday that Soong and KMT Chairman Lien Chan (
Denying these reports, KMT Secretary-General Lin Fong-cheng (林豐正) said yesterday that Lien and Soong had not made a decision about a candidate.
Lin said they will only consider the possibility of turning their support to a candidate outside of the KMT and PFP in the future if the candidate stands a better chance of winning.
Chen, meanwhile, suggested that Soong listen to the opinions of Kaohsiung's residents before recommending Chang Po-ya to run for the mayoralty.
The KMT has been skeptical of Chang's political affiliation. While Chang was the director-general of the Cabinet-level Department of Health when the KMT was in power, she accepted the DPP's offer for her to become the Minister of the Interior when the DPP came to power two years ago.
Chang, the leader of an influential political faction in Chiayi City, only decided to run for Kaohsiung mayor after her nomination for Examination Yuan vice president was rejected by the legislature in June.
By offering to support Chang in the Kaohsiung mayoral race, Soong is widely believed to covet the political resources controlled by Chang, which could be crucial to a presidential bid in 2004.
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