The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) will hold discussions today on the nomination mechanism it intends to adopt for the next legislative election and try to achieve consensus on how to select candidates now that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has finalized its nomination procedures.
KMT Secretary-General King Pu-tsung (金溥聰) said yesterday the KMT was inclined to negotiate with prospective candidates before considering party primaries.
“We must take the situations of different election districts into account before making a general rule on the nomination procedure,” King said in Greater Tainan after taking part in a marathon.
The DPP on Saturday voted to scrap party primaries and let public polls determine election candidates amid opposition from some members who said the voices of party members should be factored in when choosing candidates.
King would not confirm whether the KMT would also solely rely on public polls to determine its candidates, adding that the party would seek to find the strongest candidates in each district.
The legislative elections will be held either at the end of this year or in the first half of next year.
King, who will be stepping down from his post on Jan. 31, will hand the issue over to his replacement, Liao Liou-yi (廖了以).
Head of the KMT’s Culture and Communication Committee, Su Jun-pin (蘇俊賓), said the party would probably finalize the nomination procedures after the Lunar New Year holiday next month.
The KMT’s current system relies on primaries and polls to determine its candidates in elections. Regulations regarding the nominations for legislator-at-large elections will also be a thorny issue for the party.
Current regulations only allow party members to serve as -legislators-at-large for a maximum of two terms, which means that both Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) and Legislative Vice Speaker Tseng Yung-chuan (曾永權) would have to leave their posts after completing their second terms.
It has been speculated that the KMT may arrange for Wang to run in the legislative election in Greater Kaohsiung. Wang has declined to confirm the matter, saying he would make a final decision next month.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY CNA
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