KMT Wins Taitung Supplemental Magisterial Election

UNCLAS TAIPEI 001287 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT PASS AIT/WASHINGTON DEPT FOR EAP/TC, INR/EAP FROM AIT KAOHSIUNG BRANCH OFFICE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL TW SUBJECT: KMT Wins Taitung Supplemental Magisterial Election REF: A) 2005 TAIPEI 4986, B) 2006 TAIPEI 0656 SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED. ¶1. (SBU) In Taitung County's April 1, 2006, supplemental magisterial election, the KMT candidate Kuang Li-chen defeated Pan Green independent candidates Liu Chao-hao and Lai Kun-cheng. Voter turnout was only 38.17 percent. ¶2. (SBU) In her first-ever election, Kuang Li-chen won with 62.51 percent of total votes. Liu Chao-hao, a former vice-magistrate who ran in the December magisterial election, gained only 28.23 percent of votes. Lai Kun-cheng, the other Pan Green candidate, received only 7 percent of the vote. The KMT win was expected and the percentage of votes gained by both blue and green camps reflects the traditional base support of the two camps. ¶3. (SBU) Kuang is the ex-wife of Wu Chun-li, Taitung's former County Council Speaker and deposed Taitung Magistrate. When Wu Chun-li was elected as Magistrate in the December 2005 3-in-1 election, the Ministry of the Interior (MOI) announced that Wu would be deposed because of his corruption conviction during his tenure as a KMT County Council member (ref A). On the eve of Wu's swearing-in ceremony on December 19, Kuang deliberately divorced Wu Chun-li to bypass the law that forbids elected officials from appointing family members to public office. Although Wu designated Kuang as Vice Magistrate at the swearing-in ceremony, MOI refuted the appointment's legitimacy, saying Wu had no authority to do so after being deposed from the magisterial position. Kuang then registered with and was nominated by the KMT as its candidate for the supplemental magisterial election (ref B). ¶4. (SBU) KMT Chairman Ma Ying-jeou campaigned in Taitung three times for Kuang, despite her ex-husband's questionable past and corruption conviction (ref A). Although Liu and Lai are both DPP members, both ran as independents, making it awkward for high-ranking DPP members to campaign for them. An AIT/K contact in Taitung told AIT/K that the campaigning was calm. The contact indicated that locals saw Kuang's victory as proof that people were dissatisfied with the way that DPP administration deposed Wu Chun-li, even after Wu was elected legitimately to the magisterial seat in the December 3-in-1 election (ref B). ¶5. (SBU) Bio of Kuang Li-chen: Age: 43 years old Education: Graduate of Chung Kuo Institute of Technology College, EMBA, National Chung Hsing University Previous Position: Director of Wu Chun-li Office; Sales Manager, Yu Li Construction Company; Flight Attendant, China Airlines (Taiwan) ¶6. (SBU) AIT/K has met with the friendly and eloquent Ms. Kuang several times during visits to Taitung County. Local speculation has it that Kuang Li-chen, who divorced for reasons of political succession, will re-marry her ex-husband Wu Chun-li very soon. THIELE YOUNG