By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
Lo Chih-cheng (羅致政), director of the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) New Taipei City (新北市) chapter, yesterday announced his bid to run in the city’s mayoral election next year.
Lo, 48, is the second candidate to enter the race, following former premier Yu Shyi-kun, 65.
Highlighting his campaign theme of “generational responsibility,” Lo told a press conference held in Banciao District (板橋) that young politicians had always played important roles in Taiwan’s democratization and that was why he decided to run after giving it long consideration.
Young men in the opposition camp were the force behind the Kaohsiung Incident in 1979, the founding of the DPP in 1986, the party’s victory in local elections in 1997 and the first transfer of power in 2000 — all major events in the history of the young democracy, Lo said.
“Young DPP politicians have to step forward and take generational responsibility, which for the current generation would be the party’s return to power,” he said.
According to the party’s primary regulations, negotiations will be conducted in constituencies with multiple aspirant candidatess. If negotiations fail, public opinion polls will be conducted to determine the candidate.
Lo described New Taipei City Mayor Eric Chu (朱立倫) as a politician who settled for mediocrity and has been vague on major controversies, such as construction of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant in Gongliao District (貢寮).
Lo ran in the legislative election in Banciao East District in 2011, losing by only 1.5 percent of the total votes.