SINGING THE BLUES:Fears of a repeat of the 2000 presidential election have made some legislators nervous, but Hung Hsiu-chu said she would remain the KMT candidate
Taipei Times
Date: Aug 10, 2015
By: Stacy Hsu / Staff reporter
Several Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators have raised concerns over People
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential candidate Hung Hsiu-chu, second right, KMT Legislator Alex Fai, right, and others burn incense at Sung Shan Tsu Huei Temple in Taipei’s Xinyi District yesterday. Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei Times
First Party (PFP) Chairman James Soong’s (宋楚瑜) entry into January’s presidential election, fearing that it could hurt the KMT’s presidential campaign and prompt more party members to jump ship.
“Soong’s candidacy could deal a direct blow to the KMT because a divided pan-blue camp would give the Democratic Progressive Party an edge in the election,” KMT Legislator Lu Chia-chen (盧嘉辰) said.
The last thing he wants to see is a repeat of the predicament faced by pan-blue supporters in 2000 when Soong ran for president as an independent candidate after failing to obtain the KMT’s nomination.
Soong’s entry into the 2000 election and his departure from the KMT played a decisive role in former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) being elected as the nation’s first non-KMT directly elected president. [FULL STORY]
