By Chris Wang / Staff Reporter
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) will submit a post-election review of the party’s performance on Feb. 22, the DPP said yesterday.
On the same day, the party’s Central Executive Committee (CEC) would name an acting chairperson to replace Tsai, who will step down on March 1, DPP spokesperson Lin Chun-hsien (林俊憲) said after a weekly Central Standing Committee (CSC) meeting yesterday.
The long-awaited report would be Tsai’s last major task before stepping down as chairperson.
The chairperson had called meetings, attended by more than 20 DPP officials and campaign aides, about two or three times per week to discuss her loss in the presidential election and try to come up with the most “scientific and accurate” post-election report in DPP history, Lin said.
An academic-turned-politician, Tsai has always valued research data and aims to provide a complete breakdown of the election results — such as by how many votes and why the DPP lost in several townships in the south, where Chinese purchase delegations had often visited — Lin said.
Tsai has met with several DPP candidates who lost in the legislative elections and listened to what they have to say about the polls, Lin said.
The DPP’s China policy, seen by many as one of the crucial determinants of the elections, was also included in the discussions, Lin said.
Tsai decided to take her time carrying out the post-election assessment, although her approach had been criticized by many, including some DPP members, as “dragging and stalling,” Lin said.
According to party regulations, the acting chairperson shall be a member of the CEC and will lead the party for the remainder of Tsai’s term, which ends on May 20.
Greater Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu (陳菊) has been widely tipped as a possible candidate for acting chairperson, with five DPP commissioners and mayors in Chiayi County, Yilan County, Yunlin County, Pingtung County and Greater Tainan voicing their support.
However, Chen told reporters yesterday she was not interested in the position.
DPP legislative caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) is considered another potential candidate for acting chairperson, whose primary tasks would be finishing the party’s post-election analysis and organizing the May 27 chairperson election.
Responding to the comment of former premier Frank Hsieh (謝長廷), who said the DPP’s China policy should “move to the middle” and leave the independence supporters to its ally, the Taiwan Solidarity Union, Lin said the DPP always welcomed opinions from its members.
However, he said that the party needed to hold an open and full discussion before deciding on its future China policy.
In other news, the party decided at the CSC meeting yesterday to support the decision of its five commissioners and mayors in southern Taiwan to oppose lifting the ban on US beef imports.