The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday failed in an attempt to convince either Chiang Fang Chih-yi (蔣方智怡), daughter-in-law of former president Chiang Ching-kuo's (蔣經國), or John Chang (章孝嚴), Chiang Ching-kuo's son, to drop plans to compete in the year-end legislative elections to represent the same Taipei City area.
"Both [Chiang Fang and Chang] are adamant [about running]," said Liao Feng-teh (
The party had hoped to avoid having the two run against one another, for fear that the two would be likely to split votes and help the KMT's political opponents.
PHOTO: CNA
last minute
"To resolve the issue via a primary would now be the fairest way to go about things," Liao said.
Chiang Fang is the widow of Chiang Ching-kuo's son Chiang Hsiao-yung (
Chang is Chiang Ching-kuo's illegitimate son. He succeeded a year and a half ago in having his ID card changed to recognize Chiang Ching-kuo as his father.
Chiang Fang has criticized Chang, accusing him of trying to cash in on the Chiang family's glory in order to build political influence.
On Monday, just before the KMT's election-registration period closed, a friend of Chiang Fang's registered Chiang Fang's candidacy in Taipei City's First Constituency (Taipei City North), where she lives. Given that Chang had earlier that day registered his candidacy in the First Constituency -- instead of his current constituency in Taipei City's Second Constituency (Taipei City South) -- outsiders have speculated that Chiang Fang's decision to take part in the race was aimed at Chang.
no `family feud'?
Yesterday Chiang Fang appeared before the press for the first time since her candidacy was registered and said that her decision to run in the legislative elections had nothing to do with Chang.
"My decision to run in the election was based on my desire to serve the public," Chiang Fang said, saying that she did not know at the time that she decided to run that Chang had registered to run in the First Constituency.
"Please do not interpret this whole thing as a family feud," she said.
When asked whether she is concerned that her support base might overlap with Chang's, Chiang Fang said she believed that there were many voters for whose support she could vie apart from those in the constituency's Chuan-chun area (
`Chuan-chun' refers to the military residential compound that was set up to house soldiers and family members brought to Taiwan with Chiang Kai-shek's (
Yesterday Chiang Fang also said, referring to Chiang Ching-kuo's widow, Faina Chiang Fang-liang (蔣方良), that: "I am sure that my mother-in-law will be OK with [my decision to run]," she said.
Also yesterday, KMT Chairman Lien Chan (
Because most of the legislators in question are seen as pro-localization, some media outlets speculated that yesterday's meeting came about because KMT authorities were nervous about leaving the impression that pro-localization politicians have a difficult time finding space for their views within the party.
Lien dismissed such speculation yesterday, saying that the reason he met with the legislators "was mainly to encourage them, to thank them" and to express concern about why they had decided not to run for re-election.
Among the incumbents who didn't register to run were Chen Hung-chang (
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