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Updated Sunday, February 19, 2012 0:02 am TWN, The China Post news staff

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Elimination process begins in selection of DPP leader

The China Post news staff--No obvious candidates for the next chairman of the opposition the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) emerged yesterday, 11 days before current leader Tsai Ing-wen steps down, but Chen Chu appeared to be the front runner in the DPP's inner-party search for an interim leader although the Kaohsiung mayor was not even seeking the position.

Several possible candidates for the DPP top position, including such party heavyweights as former Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) and another former premier and former Yilan County Magistrate Yu Shyi-kun (游錫堃), either ran up against opposition or claimed they are not interested.

A DPP central executive committee meeting, scheduled for Feb. 22, will be convened to select an acting chairperson to oversee party operations before the election of a new party leader on May 27. Tsai Ing-wen, the current party chairwoman who lost the presidential race to President Ma Ying-joeu on Jan. 14, will have to hand over her responsibilities as party chairwoman to the acting chairperson on Feb. 29.

Meanwhile, two DPP Central Standing Committee members, Tsai Hsien-hao (蔡憲浩) and Hsu Chia-ching (徐佳青), and Wu Ping-rui (吳秉叡), a legislator from the DPP, came out in support of Chen, saying the Kaohsiung mayor had both the standing and stature to lead the party during three-month power vacuum.

“She has both the standing and stature to do it,” Tsai told reporters in an interview.

“The acting chairperson will stand in for just three months and his or her job is relatively simple,” Hsu said, adding “there are no special requirements on such a person.”

According to Hsu, no one would suspect Chen would take advantage of her position as acting chairperson to muscle out other candidates in the race for the party's top job. “Chen's express refusal to run for chairperson would mean public credibility would not be an issue,” Hsu said, adding DPP caucus whip in the Legislature Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) also would be an appropriate candidate.

Meanwhile, former Premier Yu Shyi-kun said for the first time yesterday he would not run for DPP chairman.

In an interview, Yu said he had returned to his hometown Yilan County to promote an “organic lifestyle,” hoping to give impetus to legislations centered on an eco-friendly culture in the northeast coastal county by acting as a bridge between the local community, academia, the Legislature, the government and non-governmental organizations.

Su Tseng-chang, another former premier, was not seen as an appropriate candidate.

“Su should be held responsible for his poor management of the campaign and not run for chairman as a shortcut to running for public office,” Yao Chia-wen (姚嘉文), former President of the Examination Yuan and DPP's second chairman in its history, said yesterday.

Yao said both Su and Frank Hsieh, also a former premier, had not been very successful in managing their own or others' presidential campaigns and, as such, should not run for DPP chairman.

Blaming Su and Hsieh for the fears among party members that the two might cause a rift within the party, Yao said he, like others, also preferred a new face.

The qualities the next DPP chairperson must possess, according to Yao, include a strong “Taiwan-consciousness” and a familiarity with party affairs.

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