By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday announced its nomination of Greater Taichung Councilor Chen Shih-kai (陳世凱) as its candidate in the Jan. 26 legislative by-election.
Chen will be running against Yen Kuan-hen (顏寬恆) to fill a position in the second electoral district of Greater Taichung left vacant by Yen’s father, Yen Ching-piao (顏清標), a former Non-Partisan Solidarity Union legislator who was found guilty of corruption.
Yen Kuan-hen will represent the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) in the election.
The DPP’s Central Executive Committee yesterday approved party Chairman Su Tseng-chang’s (蘇貞昌) nomination of Chen, who finished first in a public opinion poll of five potential nominees conducted last week.
At a press conference, Su praised Chen for his performance in the Taichung City Council and said that while the election would be a tough battle, Chen is the DPP’s best candidate in the constituency.
“I’ve always believed that a legislative seat should not be hereditary. And I have the confidence that the DPP will beat out the powerful local faction this time,” Chen said, referring to Yen Kuan-hen’s nomination and the Yen family’s strong local ties and networks.
The district has historically been a difficult constituency for the DPP, with 60 percent of residents typically voting for the KMT, Chen said.