DPP vows to also win in Feb. elections

The central administration of the DPP will engage in discussions on how to campaign for the party's candidates for the legislative by-elections in Hualien County, Taoyuan County, Hsinchu County, and Chiayi County. The by-elections are required because the counties have witnessed four new lawmakers elected as magistrates during the Dec. 5, 2009 elections.

DPP Spokesman Tsai Chi-chang said that the party's winning all the three legislative by-elections in Taoyuan County, Taichung County, and Taitung County mainly resulted from voters recognizing the importance of making the DPP become a stronger opposition party to better “supervise the administration of an incompetent but arrogant government” by the ruling Kuomintang.

Tsai said his party will continue to urge voters to support the DPP again to make it an opposition party with greater substantive supervisory power. The DPP is expected to enjoy a sure-win in the legislative by-election in the Chiayi County, southern Taiwan, because the party has fielded a heavyweight candidate Chen Ming-wen, who just completed his second-term magistracy, into the poll. In the Chiayi County, the DPP has gained much stronger support than the KMT, from residents in the county.

In the eastern county of Hualien, the DPP will field ex-lawmaker Hsiao Bi-khim into the by-election there to rival with the KMT's candidate Wang Ting-shen, the son of the county's ex-magistrate Wang Shou-feng, and an independent candidate Shih Sheng-lang, who is now chairman of the Hualien Tourism Association and is supported by the county's new magistrate Fu Kun-chi. “Hsiao stands a chance of being elected, given her high familiarity to people and a good image.

Chances also exist for the DPP to win the by-election in Taoyuan County, because there will be three candidates from the KMT, including the KMT-nominated candidate Chen Shueh-sheng, the ex-mayor Lin Mei-hsiang of the Chungli City, and county councilor Wu Tu-dong, with the last two completing their candidacy registrations regardless of disciplinary rules. By contrast, while there will be only one DPP candidate, Huang Jen-chu, in the election. “The race will be a consolidated DPP Vs. a split KMT,” DPP officials said.

In the Hsinchu County, the DPP has nominated ex-lawmaker Peng Shao-chin to counter KMT's Cheng Yung-tang, a younger brother of ex-magistrate Cheng Yung-chin of the county. Peng also joined the Dec. 5 magistrate election in the Hsinchu County, but was defeated by the KMT's Chiu Ching-fu.

Subscribe to The China Post and save 25%. Click here

SharePrintEmail

Write a Comment

Terms

Enter your comments - 3000 characters max

Type in image code

Submit

 Receive China Post promos
 Respond to this email