The People First Party (PFP) is setting its sights on the seven-in-one elections in 2014 and has begun expanding its political influence across the nation, deputy secretary-general Liu Wen-hsiung (劉文雄) said on Sunday.
The seven-in-one elections will be held for all directly elected local government positions: special municipality mayors and councilors, county commissioners/city mayors, county/city councilors, township chiefs and councilors and borough wardens/village chiefs.
Acknowledging that the party has not made any overt moves since the Jan. 14 presidential election, Liu said the PFP was planning a series of events with the 2014 election in mind, beginning with the recent cross-nation tour, to locate and build a closer connection with its supporters.
Supporters of the party have expressed their wishes for more organized public activities since the party now has a caucus group in the legislature, and the PFP is happy to oblige them, Liu said.
Aside from its party offices across the nation, the PFP is mulling plans to establish a national service center in hopes that the combination of an organized party, pooled party resources and local support would strengthen general public support for the PFP ahead of the 2014 elections.
The Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) call for 12,000 volunteers across the nation — based on ballot centers — is a similar move to muster support for the upcoming elections, Liu said, adding that while the PFP had made plans, it has yet made a full detailed report to PFP Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) because of his recent bereavement.
Soong’s wife, Chen Wan-shui (陳萬水), passed away at the age of 72 at the Koo Foundation Sun Yat-Sen Cancer Center in Taipei’s Beitou District (北投) late last month.
Sources within the PFP have also said that the party’s inaction was due to the infiltration of pro-KMT and pro-Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) members masquerading as PFP supporters when the party launched its youth groups during the election campaign.
These pretenders had caused conflict within the PFP, and the party had cleaned up and shut down the youth groups after the election, a source said, adding that the party structure was awaiting reorganization, but that it would soon be up and running again soon.
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