RESULTS OF DPP LEGISLATIVE PRIMARY IN SOUTHERN TAIWAN

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 TAIPEI 001387 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR AIT/W, EAP/TC, INR/EAP FROM AIT KAOHSIUNG BRANCH OFFICE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL TW SUBJECT: RESULTS OF DPP LEGISLATIVE PRIMARY IN SOUTHERN TAIWAN SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED, PLEASE PROTECT ACCORDINGLY ¶1. (SBU) Summary. The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has recently completed primaries in southern Taiwan for the legislative election set for January 12, 2008. Multiple candidates competed for a chance to represent their party in six of the eight southern Taiwan counties or cities. Taitung and Penghu Counties did not hold primaries because no candidates registered there, but the DPP plans to recruit candidates later in the year. Under the new "single-member district, two vote system" to be introduced in the upcoming legislative election, political parties will find it to their advantage to ensure they run a candidate even in "difficult" districts to increase their share of the party representation vote. The following is a list of the DPP candidates for each district in southern Taiwan. End Summary. Chiayi County - Two Districts -------------- ¶2. (SBU) First District: TSAI Chi-fang (M),53 years old, is a high school graduate. Tsai is an incumbent legislator first elected in 2001, currently serving his second term. He previously served as a township mayor. Second District: Chang Hwa-kuang (F),52 years old, has a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration from National Chung Hsing University. Chang is an incumbent legislator first elected in 2001, currently serving her second term. She is a close associate of incumbent Chiayi Magistrate Chen Ming-wen (DPP). Her husband was a former KMT Legislator who served from 1992 to 2001. Chiayi City - One District -------------- ¶3. (SBU) Chuang Ho-tze (F),62 years old, has a Bachelors Degree in Nursing from Chung Shan Medical College. She is an incumbent at-large legislator serving the Overseas-Chinese. She has lived in California for many years. Tainan City - Two Districts -------------- ¶4. (SBU) First District: Chen Ting-fei (F),33 years old, has a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration from Chang Jung Christian University. She is an incumbent Tainan City Council Member elected in 2002 and re-elected in 2006. She was former DPP Tainan City Chairman from 2004 to 2006. Second District: Lai Ching-te (M),48 years old, has a Masters Degree in Public Health from Harvard University. Lai, an incumbent ;legislator first elected in 1999, is serving his third term. He was a medical doctor before entering politics. Tainan County - Three Districts -------------- ¶5. (SBU) First District: Yeh Yi-jin (F),47 years old, has a Masters Degree in music from University of Bridgeport, CT. An incumbent legislator first elected in 1999, she is serving her third term. She was a former Taiwan Provincial Assembly member from 1994 to ¶1998. She may be the next DPP candidate running for the position of Tainan Magistrate in 2009. Second District: Huang Wei-tze (M),44 years old, has a Masters Degree in Public Administration from Yale University. He is an incumbent legislator elected in 2004. He was a former Tainan County Councilor from 2001 to 2004. Third District: Lee Chun-yi (M),48 years old, has a Masters Degree in Public Administration from National Cheng Chi University. He is an incumbent legislator first elected in 1995, currently serving his fourth term. Lee is affiliated with the DPP presidential candidate Frank Hsieh and often defends Hsieh on political talk shows. Kaohsiung City - Five Districts -------------- ¶6. (SBU) First District: Yao Wen-chih (M),42 years old, has a Masters Degree in Political Science from National Cheng Chi University. He was formerly the Director-General of Taiwan's Government Information Office in 2005 when Frank Hsieh was the Premier. He also served in the Kaohsiung City government as Deputy Secretary General (2001-2003) and Director of the Information Office SIPDIS (1998-2001) when Frank Hsieh was the Kaohsiung Mayor. Yao has been Frank Hsieh's close aide since 1995, when Hsieh served as a legislator. TAIPEI 00001387 002 OF 003 Second District: Kuan Bi-ling (F),52 years old, has a Ph.D. in Political Science from National Taiwan University. She is an incumbent legislator elected in 2004 with strong support from Frank Hsieh. She served in Kaohsiung City Government as Director of the Cultural Bureau (2002-2004) and Director of the Information Office (2001-2002) when Frank Hsieh was the Kaohsiung Mayor. Third District: Lin Chin-hsing (M),54 years old, has a Ph.D. in Medicine from John Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland. He is a medical doctor and owns a clinic. Lin is an incumbent legislator, first elected in 2001 and re-elected in 2004. He was expelled by the DPP in April 2006 because he was indicted for corruption after faking medical records to claim insurance reimbursement. In January 2007 the DPP accepted his application to re-join the DPP. Fourth District: Huang Chao-hui (M),61 years old, has a Masters Degree in Theology from Tainan Theological College. Huang is an incumbent legislator elected in 2004, who also served as a legislator from 1992 to 1995. He was Deputy General-Secretary of the DPP Central Office from 1995 to 1997. Fifth District: Kuo Wen-cheng (M),52 years old, is a high-school graduate. Kuo is an incumbent legislator first elected in 2001 and re-elected in 2004. Before he was elected to the legislature, he served as a Kaohsiung City Councilor from 1989 to 2001 for three terms. His wife is an incumbent City Councilor. Kaohsiung County - Four Districts -------------- ¶7. (SBU) First District: Yen Wen-chung (M),61 years old, is a high-school graduate. Yen is an incumbent legislator elected in ¶2004. Before being elected to the legislature, he served as Kaohsiung County Councilor from 2002 to 2004. Yen owns a local underground radio station and is a long-time advocate for Taiwan's independence. Second District: Yu Cheng-hsien (M),48 years old, has a Bachelors Degree in International Trade from Feng Chia University. He is the incumbent president of the state-run Tai Sugar Corp. Yu was the former Minister of Interior (2002-2004),Kaohsiung County Magistrate (1993-2001),and Legislator (1986-1993). Yu's family founded a local political faction in Kaohsiung in the 1980's. Third District: Chen Chi-yu (M),43 years old, has a Bachelors Degree in Sociology from National Taiwan University. He is affiliated with former Magistrate Yu Cheng-hsien (who is also a DPP candidate running in the second district). Under Yu's support, he may run for Kaohsiung County Magistrate in 2009. Fourth District: Lin Tai-hua (F),35 years old, has a Masters Degree in Mass Communications from the University of Wisconsin, U.S. She is an incumbent legislator first elected in 2001 and re-elected in ¶2004. She was the first legislator who called for the President's resignation if the First Lady was indicted for corruption. Pingtung County - Three Districts -------------- ¶8. (SBU) First District: Su Chen-ching (M),42 years old, with a Masters Degree in Agricultural Administration from National Pingtung University of Science and Technology. He is an incumbent Pingtung County Councilor first elected in 2001 and re-elected in 2005. He is a nephew of Su Chia-chuan, incumbent Chairman of Taiwan's Council of Agriculture and also former Pingtung County Magistrate (1997-2004). Second District: Lee Shih-bin (M),45 years old, has a Masters Degree in Public Policy from National Sun Yet-sen University. He is an incumbent Pingtung County Councilor first elected in 2001 and re-elected in 2005. He is also the incumbent Chairman of the DPP Pingtung County Office. Third District: Pan Meng-an (M),44 years old, has an EMBA from Honolulu University in Hawaii. He is an incumbent legislator elected in 2004 and served as a Pingtung County Councilor from 1998 to 2004. ¶9. (SBU) There were no DPP candidates registered for the Taitung County and Penghu County primaries. The DPP will recruit candidates later to run in these legislative elections. TAIPEI 00001387 003 OF 003 THIELE YOUNG