The confirmation came as a result of no competition in the Kuomintang primary. Ma alone was the candidate for the primary.

His unanimous confirmation was made at a Kuomintang central standing committee meeting in the afternoon. The nomination will be made formal at a party national congress in late June, however.

On being confirmed, Ma said he would meet with and ask Wang Jin-pyng, president of the Legislative Yuan, in person to be his running mate. “I will meet Wang in the nearest possible future to extend my invitation to be on the 2008 ticket,” Ma said.

Wang refused comment.

“All I can say is that I have said time and time that I am not going to talk about that,” said the parliament speaker, who is waiting to see what will befall Ma Ying-jeou.

But Wang added he is not averse to meet Ma, provided there is “a third person” at the meeting. “The two-man meeting appears like a deal being made behind closed doors,” he said.

Indicted for corruption on last February 13, Ma is standing trial for misusing his expense account while he was mayor of Taipei from 1998 to 2006. If convicted, he may be disqualified as candidate for 2008. Should Ma be forced to withdraw, Wang is ready to take his place as the Kuomintang’s standard bearer.

Indications are that Ma, even if proven guilty, will not withdraw from the race.

Efforts will be made at the party national congress to amend its bylaw that requires a presidential candidate to drop out of the race, if he is convicted of corruption.

The amendment will allow the candidate to run before the supreme court hands down the guilty verdict.

In the meantime, the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, which is facing an increasingly acrimonious primary, is trying to get an “Anti-Ma” bill adopted by the Legislative Yuan to disqualify the popular former chairman of the Kuomintang.

Ma resigned as chairman of the opposition party after he had been indicted.

According to the bill, which has been stalled, Ma will be disqualified when he is convicted at the first trial.

It is likely that the notoriously slow court of law may find Ma guilty long before the presidential election takes place in March next year.

The Taipei district court, where Ma is being tried, is taking all the time it needs to finish trying first lady Wu Shu-chen for corruption.

Wu’s trial began much earlier, but there seems little chance that it will come to an end before President Chen Shui-bian has to retire on May 20, 2008.

President Chen has promised to step down if his wife is convicted at the first trial. He was not indicted together with her on November 3 last year, because he is immune against prosecution, but was regarded as an unindicted co-defendant who will be formally charged on leaving office.