With the aim of informing the public of the views of the Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) presidential hopefuls, the Taiwan Society will sponsor a public debate between Vice President Annette Lu (
President Chen Shui-bian (
The second debate will be held on March 31.
In a meeting Chen held with the four hopefuls on Friday night, Su said that if the party's candidate was chosen through negotiations, there would be no need for public debates. Both Lu and Yu opposed this opinion, however.
Taiwan Society Secretary-General Chet Yang (
While Yu visited the Taiwan Society during the Lunar New Year holiday to express his support for public debates, Su said he would visit the society tomorrow afternoon to exchange opinions. Hsieh is expected to visit the society at a later date.
The Taiwan Society has decided that while invited guests will be allowed to ask questions and the presidential hopefuls will be free to expound on topics of their own choosing, some topics will be defined by the Taiwan Society. These topics will be announced ahead of the debate to allow the participants to prepare.
The society is discussing the feasibility of allowing the public to ask questions during the second debate.
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