Vice President Lai Ching-te (???) has decided to run for Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairman to secure his chances of being the party's presidential nominee in the 2024 election, but it may present some risks, according to DPP sources.
When declaring his candidacy for the position Thursday, Lai did not explain in detail why he decided to run, but the bid was widely seen within the DPP as related to his desire to be the DPP's presidential candidate 13 months from now.
In Lai's statement on Thursday, he said he decided to run after consultations within the DPP, with some people giving him words of encouragement and others voicing reservations.
As of Friday evening, no other DPP figures had declared their candidacy for the post, and with most DPP heavyweights voicing their support for him, Lai taking over as DPP party head is seen by many as a foregone conclusion.
According to DPP sources, some people advised Lai against the idea because being chairman would require him to handle the nominations of candidates in the 2024 legislative elections, which will be held alongside the presidential election.
Some see that as a thankless task that could cause dissent among party members and lead to self-inflicted harm.
DPP lawmakers who are close to Lai suggested that he should "evaluate the risks with great caution" before deciding to run, DPP sources said Thursday.
Approached by reporters Friday, Premier Su Tseng-chang (???) said Lai asked for his opinion on Thursday and he gave Lai "friendly advice" that serving as DPP chairman "could be a double-edged sword" for him if he were to run for president.
Other DPP members felt Lai had good reason to run for the party's top post, saying they believed that he could have earned the DPP nomination for president in 2020 if the 2019 primary for the 2020 presidential race had not been "rigged" in favor of President Tsai Ing-wen (???).
Lai learned from the experience that he would need to take control of the party to ensure that the "unfair" primary in 2019 would not be repeated, a DPP source told CNA, adding that Lai was determined to win the party's nomination for president.
DPP lawmaker Lin Chun-hsien (???), a longtime confidant of Lai, said Lai felt he was "duty-bound" to lead the party were it to win the 2024 presidential election, but he stopped short of saying whether Lai would run for president himself.
Kuo Kuo-wen (???), a DPP lawmaker who is also close to Lai, said the vice president considered it his responsibility to help the party recover from its defeat in the local elections on Nov. 26 because he saw himself as the "presidential candidate-to-be."
DPP lawmakers across different factions have expressed support for Lai's bid for chairman and possible entry into the 2024 presidential election.
There were few opposing viewpoints within the party on Lai taking over as DPP chairperson, veteran DPP lawmaker Ker Chien-ming (???) said Thursday.
According to DPP tradition, Ker said, the chairperson of the party usually runs in the presidential race.
Taoyuan Mayor Cheng Wen-tsan (???), who is close to Tsai, said Lai is the DPP's "one and only" choice for the 2024 presidential election for now and that he will throw his support behind Lai.
The outgoing Taoyuan mayor was widely tipped to run for DPP chairmanship before his master's degree was revoked by National Taiwan University due to plagiarism on Dec. 2.
According to a schedule approved by the DPP's Central Standing Committee on Wednesday, the party will accept registrations from candidates for party chairperson from Dec. 12-16.
In the following weeks, the party will allow candidates to present their views in at least one televised forum, before holding a vote open to all DPP members on Jan. 15 and announcing the new chairperson on Jan. 18.
Tsai resigned as DPP chairperson to take responsibility for the party's poor showing in the Nov. 26 elections. Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai (???) was selected to serve as acting chair.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel