Minister of Justice Chen Ding-nan (
Chen made the announcement at a news conference held at the Ilan County Hall in the company of incumbent Ilan Magistrate Liu Shou-cheng (
The minister who has a clean image said he is determined to return to Ilan to prepare for the year-end election after he joins with Premier Yu Shyi-kun and other Cabinet members in tendering resignations en masse today.
Chen said his decision is a response to calls from his supporters to run again for the post he served in from 1981 to 1989.
"I couldn't ignore the repeated appeals from my supporters at home for me to lead them in developing Ilan," Chen said, adding that Ilan will face great challenges with the inauguration of the Peiyi Expressway at the end of this year.
Noting that the expressway, which will shorten the driving time between Taipei and Ilan to about 40 minutes from the current two hours, will bring both opportunities and challenges to Ilan, Chen said he feels compelled to run for the county's top post again to lead it to a brighter future.
As the general public do not fully understand the power and functions of the Ministry of Justice (MOJ), Chen said some people have mistakenly taken him to task for many judicial and social problems.
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