KMT TO FACE NEXT TEST IN TAIPEI LEGISLATIVE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TAIPEI 000356 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/27/2019 TAGS: PGOV TW SUBJECT: KMT TO FACE NEXT TEST IN TAIPEI LEGISLATIVE BY-ELECTION REF: TAIPEI 289 Classified By: AIT Director Stephen M. Young, Reasons: 1.4 (b/d) ¶1. (C) Summary: KMT candidate Chiang Nai-shin is expected to win Saturday's by-election in the Blue-majority Da'an District in Taipei City, though the KMT isn't taking any chances. DPP candidate Chou Po-ya has a slight chance if pan-Blue independent Yao Li-ming unexpectedly succeeds in siphoning off a large number of Chiang's votes. The KMT is putting a major effort into this election following its unexpected loss in a similar contest in Miaoli County two weeks ago. Regardless of who wins, the results on Saturday will be interpreted as a test of public support (or dissatisfaction) for the Ma administration, whose approval ratings in public opinion continue to hover in the upper twenties. End Summary. Seven Candidates Include Three Contenders -------------- ¶2. (SBU) Three contenders and four other candidates are competing in this Saturday's (March 28) by-election to fill the Legislative Yuan (LY) seat in Taipei's Da'an District that was vacated by Diane Lee as a result of her citizenship controversy. The three contenders are long-term Taipei City Council members Chiang Nai-shin (KMT) and Chou Po-ya (DPP), and independent Yao Li-ming, who was "recommended" by the Deep Blue New Party (NP). Yao, a leader in the unsuccessful "Red Shirt" effort to oust President Chen Shui-bian in 2006, is a college professor and regular guest on the pro-Blue political talkshow circuit. The remaining four candidates are expected to draw only small numbers of votes: the environmental Green Party's Wen Ping-yuan, independent Professor Liu Yi-chun, and two other independents: Chen Yuan-chi and Chao Yen-ching. KMT's Chiang is the Favorite -------------- ¶3. (C) The 67-32 percent margin by which the KMT defeated the DPP in the January 2008 legislative election in Da'an District reflects the district's heavy Blue majority. While the 2008 election was a one-on-one contest, there is a three-way race this time, involving two candidates on the Blue side (Chiang and Yao) and one from the Green camp (Chou). Theoretically, if the voter turnout is low and Yao siphons off large numbers of disappointed Blue voters, the DPP would have a slim chance of winning. However, all of our contacts, DPP and KMT alike, predict Chiang Nai-shin will be �00A;the victor. Reasons include the structure of the electorate, the strength of the local KMT organization, Chiang Nai-shin's good reputation for constituent services in the district, and his commanding lead in public opinion polls. ¶4. (C) The KMT, nonetheless, is taking no chances following its unexpected and embarrassing defeat at the hands of an independent candidate in the legislative by-election in Miaoli County on March 14 (reftel). Taipei City KMT Chairman Pan Chia-sen told AIT that his party's polls show Chiang far in the lead, followed by Chou, and then Yao. Despite the apparent lead, the party has two concerns. One is that voter turnout by KMT supporters could be low. The other concern is that Yao might be able to attract a portion of the KMT supporters as a result of the strong support he is receiving from the pro-Blue television talkshows. There is no way to gauge the influence of such talkshows on KMT supporters, Pan added. To address these concerns, the KMT has recently released ads that attack Yao for inconsistency, including repeated changes of party affiliation, and it has posted signs around the district that urge voters to "rescue" Chiang and maintain that "all he needs to put him over the top is your one vote." ¶5. (C) DPP contacts acknowledge the KMT's dominance in Da'an district and the likely outcome of Saturday's by-election. DPP special advisor Bikhim Hsiao explained to us that there is not much difference between Chiang and Chou, both of whom TAIPEI 00000356 002 OF 002 are well qualified by long experience in the city council. Chiang has the upper hand because Da'an is one of Bluest districts in all Taiwan. Unfortunately, Chou cannot effectively use the Diane Lee controversy against Chiang since the KMT response would be to focus on former President Chen Shui-bian's corruption cases, DPP Deputy Secretary General Hung Yao-fu told us in a separate meeting. In addition, Chiang has no flaws or faults that the DPP could target. Hung, who is responsible for DPP election strategy, noted that the party's goal is to improve on its January 2008 showing, when DPP candidate Luo Wen-jia won 32 percent of the vote. ¶6. (C) Luo Wen-jia, now a DPP Central Standing Committee member, described Chiang as a "good person," relatively moderate and non-ideological. Realizing the DPP's poor prospects in this by-election, Luo noted to us that he had originally proposed that the party back the Green Party nominee rather than fielding its own candidate. In Luo's view, the DPP needs to build a united front with other anti-KMT forces to have a chance in Blue-majority districts. ¶7. (C) Luo suggested that Blue supporters in Da'an will not vote for the DPP, so Chou's only chance is if sufficiently large numbers of Blue supporters decide to cast their votes for Yao rather than Chiang. Yao would have to win more than 20 percent of the overall vote for the DPP to have a chance, which is unlikely. Regardless of the outcome, Luo said, the election results will be an indicator of the degree of public dissatisfaction with the ruling KMT. ¶8. (C) The voter turnout rate, which tends to be low for by-elections, may be 45-50 percent on Saturday, according to our KMT and DPP contacts. Predicted rain could also affect turnout. (Note: Turnout in Da'an District for the January 2008 LY election was 62 percent.) Most candidates are campaigning vigorously this final week. While Yao claims he can be a gadfly who will force the KMT to take action on issues such as anti-corruption, the KMT is telling supporters that voting for Yao could lead to a DPP victory. KMT resources are apparent as its posted banners and campaign vehicles outnumber those of other candidates, though Yao has also posted numerous banner and placed full-page ads in two major newspapers. Party heavyweights have been active in campaigning on the streets and in the markets for Chiang and Chou. Among many others, these include LY Speaker Wang Jin-pyng and Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin on the KMT side and DPP Chair Tsai Ing-wen and former Premier Su Tseng-chang for the DPP camp. Comment -------------- ¶9. (C) The KMT hopes to win by a substantial margin in order to reverse the damage from its embarrassing loss two weeks ago in Miaoli. A close election, or worse, a defeat this time would be interpreted as indicating strong dissatisfaction with the Ma administration, which has low approval ratings in public opinion polls. The DPP is not expecting to win and hopes for a good turnout by the DPP base in this Blue-majority district. The DPP's Hung Yao-fu expects more legislative by-elections in the coming months after verdicts are issued in several ongoing trials of legislators. The DPP would have an opportunity in by-elections that could possibly occur in the fall in Taoyuan and Yunlin counties, he suggested. YOUNG