Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Wu Poh-hsiung (吳伯雄) yesterday pledged to campaign for pan-blue legislative candidates recommended by the KMT-People First Party (PFP) alliance regardless of their party affiliation.
The KMT-PFP alliance joined to nominate six legislative candidates and is planning to register legislator-at-large candidates under the KMT, Wu said.
"The six candidates were nominated by the KMT and by the PFP. Regardless of their party affiliations, the KMT will treat them the same and campaign for them," Wu said yesterday.
The six PFP legislative candidates nominated by the alliance are Ko Shu-ming (
Hwang yesterday confirmed that he joined the KMT last month.
Hwang said he made the decision to meet the expectations of his supporters, adding that PFP Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) was aware of the matter and understood his position.
Chung, who was jointly recommended by both the KMT and the PFP to run for the legislature in January in the first district in Kaohsiung County, said Hwang's move "reflected the political reality" and was "understandable."
Chung said PFP members running on behalf of the two parties all face the same situation as Hwang because "supporters want to see us run under the banner of the KMT."
According to the consensus the KMT and PFP reached on the joint candidates in April, the legislative candidates will be registered under the KMT, and the two parties will negotiate on the nomination mechanism of the legislator-at-large candidates.
With the registrations for the legislative election to be held from Nov. 16 to Nov. 20, it is believed that the two parties will officially merge in November.
Wu said his party would discuss the further details with Soong, such as whether or not legislator-at-large candidates should be officially registered by the KMT.
When asked to comment on the rumors that the KMT and PFP would merge in November, KMT presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday said the two parties have been cooperating in many ways and an official merger would benefit the pan-blue camp and make it easier for pan-blue supporters to cast their votes during elections without having to think about which party they should support.
Tseng Yung-chuan (曾永權), executive director of the KMT's Central Policy Committee, said he was looking forward to the formal merger of the two pan-blue parties by Nov. 16, the deadline to register as a legislative candidate in the election.
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