MORE PRIMARIES SET:An opinion poll will be conducted tonight for the Pingtung County commissioner race and one will be conducted on Nov. 18 in Nantou County
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
Former Keelung mayor Lee Chin-yung (李進勇) will be the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) nominee for the Yunlin County commissioner election next year after Lee won the party primary yesterday.
Lee beat two other contenders in a public opinion poll conducted on Tuesday by three survey companies, earning a support rate of 29.96 percent, DPP Secretary-General Lin Hsi-yao (林錫耀) told a press conference.
DPP Legislator Liu Chien-kuo (劉建國) finished second with 23.64 percent, DPP Legislator-at-large Lee Ying-yuan (李應元) placed third with 17.8 percent and 28.6 percent of respondents said that they had no preference.
The poll was the sole primary method, according to the DPP’s regulations for next year’s mayoral and commissioner elections.
Lee Chin-yung, who was backed by Yunlin Commissioner Su Chih-fen (蘇治芬), thanked his supporters and said his priority would to seek reconciliation with his rivals to ensure party unity.
“After all, the enemy is not a DPP member,” Lee Chin-yung said.
Liu and Lee Ying-yuan both said they respected the results and pledged party unity, but both urged the DPP to deal with controversies that arose the primary process, although neither elaborated.
One controversy is believed to be Su’s endorsement of Lee Chin-yung, with Greater Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu (陳菊) and Greater Tainan Mayor William Lai (賴清德) also voicing their support of him.
Liu said in a press release that he was grateful for the opportunity to learn from “three senior politicians” in the primary, referring to his opponents and Su, while Lee Ying-yuan said some of the survey returns may have been fixed.
The party’s next primary is for the Pingtung commissioner election, with a public opinion poll to be conducted tonight to determine the winner. DPP legislators Pan Men-an (潘孟安) and Su Chen-ching (蘇震清) are the two contenders.
The result will be announced on Saturday morning, DPP spokesperson Lin Chun-hsien (林俊憲) said, adding that surveys in other constituencies have also been scheduled after negotiation between aspirants failed to winnow the lists.
A survey will be conducted on Nov. 18 in Nantou County to determine whether former DPP lawmakers Lee Wen-chung (李文忠) or Tang Huo-shen (湯火聖) will be the candidate, the spokespersons said.
Former vice presidential candidate Su Jia-chyuan (蘇嘉全) has dropped out of the race in Greater Taichung, leaving DPP legislators Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) and Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌) as the two contenders.
Su Jia-chyuan said in a press release issued by his office that a DPP victory in Greater Taichung would be certain if the party could avoid internal divisions.
“I have decided to withdraw from the primary so that the young generation will continue deepening and strengthening democracy in Taiwan. And I pledge full support to whomever is nominated by the party,” he said.