Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Wu Poh-hsiung (吳伯雄) yesterday denied manipulating the results of a recent poll to help his son obtain the party’s nomination in the year-end Taoyuan County Commissioner election.
“I did not make any phone calls or do other things to influence the poll results. My integrity can stand any test,” Wu said at KMT headquarters.
Wu made the remarks in response to a report yesterday by Next Magazine, which quoted Taoyuan County Council Speaker Tseng Chong-yi (曾忠義) as saying Wu had manipulated a survey on public support for him and Wu’s son, KMT Legislator John Wu (吳志揚).
Tseng’s camp invited the school’s poll center to conduct the survey earlier this month for his campaign’s reference. However, Wu Poh-hsiung allegedly called the school on April 11, asking it to stop conducting the poll.
SPECULATION
Speculation is rife that Wu Poh-hsiung, a former Taoyuan County commissioner, wants to have his son represent the KMT in the elections in December.
The KMT chairman dismissed the story yesterday and accused some “outsiders” of trying to manipulate the KMT primary by spreading rumors.
“We should be cautious about such smear campaigns initiated by some outsiders,” he said.
Wu Poh-hsiung said he had handled the nomination process fairly, adding the KMT would hold a primary if more than one candidate signed up to run in the Taoyuan County commissioner election.
REGISTRATION
The KMT will hold primary registrations for Taoyuan County commissioner at the end of this month or early next month and will complete the nomination process for all city and county head elections by June.
At a separate setting, John Wu also dismissed allegation that he or his father had tried to manipulate the poll.
Commenting on the Next Magazine report, Tseng said he would respect any survey results, adding that he believed “the KMT is mature enough” to refrain from attempting to interfere in public opinion polls.
KMT Vice Chairman Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) told reporters in the legislature that the school was not a professional political pollster and therefore its survey might have been misleading.
“Someone who was concerned called the school, but Wu Poh-hsiung did not do it,” Wu Den-yih said, without naming names.
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