Taipei, May 19 (CNA) Frank Hsieh, who is almost certain to be named the presidential candidate of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) after a landslide primary victory May 6, is the favorite to win the 2008 presidential election, scholars said in a forum Saturday.
"If you ask me today, I think Frank Hsieh has the edge over main opposition Kuomintang (KMT) candidate Ma Ying-jeou, " Byron Weng, a professor at National Chi Nan University, said in a seasonal forum titled "Presidential Election and Domestic Politcs, " which was organized by the Taiwan Thinktank to provide foreign representatives with timely interpretations of Taiwan's politics.
Hsieh has been tested during the DPP primary by his own party members and the media, Weng said. While Hsieh delivered many things to Kaohsiung while serving as mayor of the southern port city, Ma's political career has paled in comparison, according to Weng.
"Hsieh is already immune. He is ready, having rehearsed all the tough questions, " said Michael Hsiao, executive director of Academia Sinica's Center for Asia Pacific Area Studies. As for foreign policy, Hsiao said "everyone knows Hsieh's stance, and most international observers have the impression that he is not a radical politician, which is a big plus for him."
"Ma should be prepared to answer the hard questions that he hasn't answered yet, " Hsiao continued, referring to Ma's position on cross-strait relations and his "ultimate unification" rhetoric.
"The fact that the DPP was able to immediately unite after the party's presidential primary also counts for something in Hsieh's favor," Weng said.
On the upcoming legislative and presidential elections, Hsiao told foreign representatives that he believes that if the "pan-blue alliance" wins the legislative elections later this year, Hsieh has a better chance of winning the 2008 presidential election because of the "compensation effect."
"But if the DPP pulls off a victory in the legislative elections, it will win again in the presidential election because of the momentum," Hsiao said.
However, it's also possible that the candidates of both sides are replaced because of the verdicts in court cases in which they are involved, said David Huang, an associate research fellow at Academia Sinica.
"We can't rule out the possibility of 'two-in-one elections, ' meaning the holding of the legislative and presidential elections simultaneously, which more and more people are advocating, " said forum moderator Lo Chih-cheng, chairman of Soochow University's Department of Political Science.
More than 15 foreign representatives in Taiwan attended the two-hour forum.