By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday said its party congress has been re-scheduled for Sept. 24 or Sept. 25 as part of a three-in-one campaign activity.
The Central Standing Committee has decided to hold the congress, which was originally scheduled for Aug. 28, either in Taipei or Greater Taichung, depending on what venues are available, spokesperson Kang Yu-cheng (康裕成) said.
The party postponed the congress because of the approach of Typhoon Nanmadol.
The DPP decided to merge the congress with its Sept. 28 anniversary and a massive outdoor rally to promote its legislative candidates, which were to be held in Greater Taichung, Kang said.
The three activities will be held on the same day, she said.
DPP staff were looking for suitable venues in Taichung or Taipei, where an indoor conference hall for the party congress and an outdoor space for the rally are required, Kang said, adding that “but they will not be easy to find.”
Taichung would be preferable for the rally because the DPP believes that central Taiwan will likely be the deciding battleground in January’s presidential election, Kang said.
The weekend of Sept. 24 and Sept. 25 would be most suitable for the congress because Sept. 10 will be the first day of the three-day Moon Festival holiday and party members across the country would have a hard time to get to the venue with all the holiday traffic, she said.
The following weekend — Sept. 17 and Sept. 18 — was also out of the question because DPP Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), the party’s presidential candidate, will be in the middle of her nine-day US visit scheduled, which begins on Sept. 12, she said.
The issue of DPP’s vice presidential candidate was not discussed in the meeting, Kang said.