The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) said it would launch an investigation into a legislative primary dispute between KMT legislators John Chiang (蔣孝嚴) and Lo Shu-lei (羅淑蕾) after Chiang accused Lo of winning a poll yesterday using smear tactics.
In the poll held by the KMT’s Taipei City branch on Friday and Saturday to finalize the legislative candidate for the Zhongshan (中山)-Songshan (松山) electoral district, Lo barely bested her opponent with 35.97 percent support, against Chiang’s 35.39 percent.
After the final results were announced, Chiang issued a protest and blamed Lo for his loss in the poll, calling on the KMT to look into what he called “vicious attacks” against him from Lo’s camp.
“The smear campaign by the Lo camp is a violation of party regulations and the poll results were distorted because of the vicious attacks against me,” Chiang said in a written statement. “I have reported her violations to the party and await an investigation to be launched.”
Lo defended her victory, saying she would spare no efforts to win the seat for the KMT.
“A victory is a victory, even if it is only by one vote. The KMT needs a candidate who has passion and is capable. I will not disappoint President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and the KMT if the party nominates me,” she said.
KMT Taipei City branch director Pan Chia-sen (潘家森) said the branch would start an investigation into the dispute and present the results to the KMT’s nomination committee for a final decision on the matter.
The KMT completed its first round of nominations for legislative election last week. It is scheduled to complete the second and third phases of the nomination process on May 11 and May 25.
Pan said the party would not base its selections solely on poll results and would continue negotiation to finalize the list.
After weeks of speculation on a possible merger of the presidential and legislative elections — a move supported by the KMT — the Central Election Commission last week announced the two elections would be held simultaneously on Jan. 14 next year. Following the announcement, Democratic Progressive Party legislators, fearing the move would create a four-month lame-duck presidency before the next -president steps into the -Presidential Office on May 20, proposed a constitutional amendment and said the merger should be postponed until the 2016 elections.
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