Taiwan's DPP candidate, Beijing know when to keep quiet

THE Kuomintang (KMT), Taiwan's ruling party, fearful of a disastrous outcome at presidential and legislative elections in January, finally took the plunge and replaced its original presidential candidate, Hung Hsiu-chu, with party chairman Eric Chu, mayor of New Taipei City.

This is unlikely to prevent the election of Tsai Ing-wen, candidate of the opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), leading to Taiwan's first woman president. But it may limit the loss of seats in the parliament, known as the Legislative Yuan. Even during 2000-2008, when Chen Shui-bian of the DPP was president, the KMT controlled the legislature and so the DPP did not have full control of the government.

A recent poll showed Ms Tsai with more than a 20-point lead. Ms Hung, the deputy legislative speaker, born in Taiwan of mainland parents, shocked many by advocating unification with the mainland. A KMT-sponsored poll early this month put her support level at 13 per cent, leading to calls for her replacement. At the party congress on Oct 17, more than 90 per cent of delegates voted to replace her.