Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) spokesman David Huang (黃適卓) yesterday denied reports that the party had seen a dramatic increase in membership because many of the applicants were seeking nomination as the party’s candidates in the mayoral and councilor elections in 2018.
DPP director of organization Lee Cheng-yi (李政毅) on Wednesday said that applications for DPP membership surged nearly 14 times to 50,000 this year.
The new members have boosted DPP membership to close to 200,000, Lee said, attributing the uptick to the party’s return to power and public approval of the DPP administration’s reform agenda.
DPP spokeswoman and Tainan City Councilor Chiu Li-li (邱莉莉) said Taiwanese youth and families are joining the party because of its popular support.
However, an eligibility rule — known as “the rule of two years” — may have contributed to the recent influx of new DPP members.
Passed in 2013 by the DPP National Congress, the rule requires DPP candidates running for public office and voters in primaries to be party members of good standing for at least two years.
That meant candidates and voters participating in the primaries in 2018 must have joined the party no later than Nov. 30.
Applicants are required to pay an annual due of NT$300 or a lifetime membership fee of NT$10,000. They are to be vetted by the local chapter and approved by party headquarters; membership is bestowed on the completion of the payment.
Huang said the increase in membership is directly linked to the DPP’s return to power.
“It also suggests public identification with the DPP’s values and the high degree of expectations placed on the DPP,” he said, rejecting media reports that applicants were only interested in running in the elections in two years.
A total of 50,181 people applied for membership from January and May, a dramatic increase from 3,633 last year, he said, adding that the number of new members could continue to increase on the back of the DPP administration’s “outstanding performance.”
Among this year’s applicants, 36,665 people had completed the application process, but the other 13,516 have yet to pay the membership fee.
“The party will continue to recruit new members next year, especially among immigrants, women, Aborigines and young people, to make the DPP a more diverse party,” he said.
The party is also seeking to attract overseas Taiwanese, and President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) helped recruit more than 200 members when she visited Panama and Paraguay in June, he added.
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