Kaohsiung Mayor Chen deems self 'unsuitable' for interim DPP chair

DPP Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen joined others in the DPP yesterday in urging Chen to serve as interim chair, according to local media.

Tsai is due to step down from the chairmanship at the end of February. The interim chair serves until the formal election in May.

But the position is “unsuitable,” said Chen to Taipei press yesterday, following the DPP's weekly meeting of the Central Standing Committee.

City governance is an “extremely heavy” task and there are just 24 hours in a day. In the dual roles of mayor and chair, she would not know how to apportion the hours in a way that pleases everyone, said Chen.

She continued that her position has stayed consistent from start to finish: the responsibilities in Greater Kaohsiung come first. Based on this priority, accepting the position feels “unsuitable.”

Meanwhile, a DPP heavyweight pointed to former Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) as another unsuitable candidate for the DPP chair.

DPP members who hope to run in the 2016 presidential election should stay out of the upcoming campaign for party chair, said Yao Chia-wen to local media.

“Of course my statement has people in mind,” such as Su and the heads of counties and cities, he said.

Su hansnothing positive and everything negative to gain by serving as chair, said Yao.

The presidential candidate needs to take a certain position, as does the party chairman. The two positions are not the same, he said.

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