Cabinet Spokesman Cheng Wen-tsang (鄭文燦) yesterday said that Premier Su Tseng-chang (
"This has never crossed his mind," Cheng said on be half of Su yesterday morning. "This is a false news report."
The spokesman's remarks were in reference to a story in yesterday's Chinese-language Apple Daily, which reported that there was a "good chance" Su would quit his job soon after the Lunar New Year and begin to launch his campaign activities for the 2008 presidential election. The paper cited an unnamed Su staff member.
The premier is widely seen as a leading contender for the Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) nomination, but has not yet declared his intention to run.
The story reported that Su planned to quit before the Lunar New Year so he would be able to gear up for the presidential election.
However, President Chen Shui-bian (
The Apple Daily reported that the president had repeatedly asked Su to remain in office even though he may participate in the presidential election.
However, members of Su's staff said that remaining in the position of premier and running for the presidential election at the same time may not be a good thing for Su because once Su is officially nominated, he may become a target to be challenged at the legislature.
If that were the case, the premier would not have sufficient opportunities or time to carry out as many campaign events as possible.
"I must say this is not an accurate newspaper story," Cheng said. "Reporters didn't confirm the information that they wrote in their stories with any of us. I have no idea where they got the information, either."
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