DPP Hualien Chapter Eyes Nomination or Cooperation for County Magistrate Election

(Central News Agency, Hualien, June 5) The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Hualien County Chapter completed its director handover today. The new director, Chen Jing-feng, stated that his primary task upon taking office is to prepare for the year-end elections. He will continue to expand nominations and recruit candidates, and will discuss the county magistrate election strategy with the central party, moving towards a model of nomination or cooperation.

The DPP Hualien County Chapter recently completed its director election, with Chen Jing-feng taking over. The handover was witnessed today by National Policy Advisor Lu Po-chi and representatives from the central party headquarters.

Chen Jing-feng said he plans to attend an internal party directors' meeting on the 17th to consult with Party Chair Lai Ching-te and Secretary-General Hsu Kuo-yung on the central party's stance and strategy for the Hualien election. He noted that the results of the past two county magistrate elections in Hualien were unsatisfactory, and therefore the party is not ruling out models of cooperation or central nomination.

When asked by the media why Hualien's candidate has not been decided while other counties and cities have already clarified their choices, and whether there is a confirmed nominee or cooperation partner, Chen stated that he has just taken office as director and the direction for the county magistrate election still requires further discussion with the central party. Potential cooperation partners are not yet clear at this stage.

Regarding Hualien's political environment, where support for the Kuomintang (KMT) is greater than for the DPP, Chen said any cooperation must be carefully evaluated to avoid causing the partner to lose their existing voter base. He plans to hold local forums and public hearings to explain the situation to supporters, expand the support base, and achieve a win-win outcome, though the specific format remains to be determined.

Chen believes that under the long-term governance of the couple Fu Kun-chi and Hsu Chen-wei, Hualien's development has lagged behind Taitung. He hopes to change this situation through the election. The party has already nominated 21 candidates for grassroots positions, a record high. He will continue to contact like-minded independent representatives, village chiefs, and local figures, including supporters of Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim from her time as a legislator, to discuss potential cooperation.

For the next Hualien county magistrate election, the Pan-Blue coalition is currently experiencing internal strife. The KMT has nominated the incumbent Ji-an Township Mayor, Yu Shu-chen. Independent county councilor Wei Chia-hsien and Council Speaker Chang Chun, both former KMT members, have also declared their candidacies.

During the large-scale recall voting last year, Chang Chun strongly supported the recall of KMT legislator Fu Kun-chi, aligning with the DPP's anti-Fu forces. In this county magistrate election, there are rumors that the DPP has already begun cooperating with Chang Chun, but neither side has confirmed this information. (Editor: Li Shu-hua) 1150605