By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) Secretary-General Lin Chih-chia (林志嘉) confirmed yesterday that he is mulling running in the New Taipei City (新北市) mayoral election next year and said he hopes that a public opinion poll on TSU and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) aspirant mayoral candidates will be held to determine who will be the best candidate for the pan-green camp.
A TSU meeting on the seven-in-one elections next year accepted Lin’s proposal and asked TSU Chairman Huang Kun-huei (黃昆輝) to meet with DPP Chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) to discuss the matter.
However, DPP spokesperson Wang Min-sheng (王閔生) said the party has its own primary regulations and mechanisms and would not comment on the TSU’s proposal.
The DPP currently has two aspirant candidates — former premier Yu Shyi-kun and former lawmaker Chuang Shuo-han (莊碩漢) — in the party primary after New Taipei Chapter Director Lo Chih-cheng (羅致政) pulled out of the race on Tuesday.
Lin said he is scheduled to announce his intention to run in the election tomorrow and hopes that he will be included in the DPP’s scheduled public opinion poll to determine its candidate in New Taipei City on Dec. 2.
If Lin fails to finish first in the survey, he will drop out of the race and do his best to garner support for the winner so that the pro-Taiwan alliance will have its best shot at winning the constituency of 3 million voters, according to Huang.
Responding to a media inquiry yesterday, former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) voiced his support for Lin, saying that Lin will be “a good young candidate who deserves an opportunity [to run in the election].”