TAIWAN: MAIN OPPOSITION NATIONALIST PARTY KMT TO SELECT A NEW LEADER

Record ID: 278373

  • Title: TAIWAN: MAIN OPPOSITION NATIONALIST PARTY KMT TO SELECT A NEW LEADER
  • Date: 17th July 2005
  • Summary: TAIPEI, TAIWAN (JULY 16, 2005) (REUTERS) WIDE OF THE POLLING STATION AND POSTER OF THE PARTY CHAIRMAN CANDIDATE WANG JIN-PYNG; MV VOTERS CHECKING PARTY MEMBERSHIP ID; MV PARTY MEMBERS VOTING (8 SHOTS)
  • Embargoed: 1st August 2005 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: TAIPEI, KAOHSIUNG, TAIWAN
  • Country: Taiwan
  • Topics: Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA8DO54L27SMOKHXH4WQX9IRGAQ
  • Story Text: Taiwan's China-friendly KMT to select new leader.
    Taiwan's main opposition Nationalist Party, which favours closer ties with rival China, cast ballots for a new chairman on Saturday (July 16, 2005), in a vote seen as an early primary for the presidential race in 2008.
    The two candidates are both against independence from China, which considers self-ruled Taiwan its own, and have vowed to follow the path of incumbent chairman Lien Chan, who ended decades of hostility with a historic trip to Beijing in April.
    The two-way race is unprecedented for the 110-year-old Nationalist Party, or Kuomintang (KMT), that was founded by Chinese revolutionary Sun Yat-sen.
    The KMT once ruled all of China and fled to Taiwan after losing the Chinese civil war in 1949. The party enjoyed uninterrupted rule of the island until 2000, when they lost to the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party.
    Analysts say the outcome is hard to predict because even though opinion polls show Hong Kong-born Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou in the lead, local-born parliament speaker Wang Jin-pyng could still swing the vote if he can mobilise traditional grassroots support.
    " I am confident that the party members have already made the decision to select a chairman who will be the most helpful to the party," said Parliament speaker Wang Jin-pyng.
    With handsome, squeaky-clean looks and a Harvard law degree, the 55-year-old Ma enjoys high popularity in the northern capital of Taipei.
    " Everyone can find their polling station from my advertisements. I urge my supporters to vote for me," Mayor Ma said.
    Dubbed "Little Brother Ma" by his supporters, many see the mayor as the opposition's best, and perhaps only, hope of wresting power back from the DPP.
    But critics say Ma is an inefficient leader and lacks backing in rural areas, especially in the island's south, where support for an independent Taiwan identity runs high.
    The KMT only introduced direct chairmanship elections after losing its grip on the presidency in 2000. Saturday will be the first time the KMT's 1 million rank-and-file members have faced a choice.
    " The first party chairman election is representing our party reform toward a democratic party. I can see a great hope for the future," said Chou Ping-so, 67 years old with 35 years of party membership.
    KMT leaders are traditionally the party's standard bearers for presidential elections. Lien ran for office in 2000 and 2004, losing both times to Chen Shui-bian of the DPP.
    " The party reform can not be stopped, only Mayor Ma will lead us to a better future for the party." said Ling Ming-tin, Ma's suppeoter.
    The result is expected after 8 p.m. (1200 GMT).
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