VZCZCXRO9006
PP RUEHCN
DE RUEHIN #0490 0470358
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 160358Z FEB 06
FM AIT TAIPEI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8564
INFO RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 4676
RUESLE/AMCONSUL SHANGHAI 8369
RUEHCN/AMCONSUL CHENGDU 1044
RUEHSH/AMCONSUL SHENYANG 4964
RUEHGZ/AMCONSUL GUANGZHOU 8971
RUEHHK/AMCONSUL HONG KONG 5874

UNCLAS TAIPEI 000490 
 
SIPDIS 
 
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:  Candidates for Chiayi Supplemental Legislative 
Election 
 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED. 
 
  ¶1.  (U) Former KMT Legislator Huang Min-hui's election as 
  Chiayi City Mayor in the December election has forced a 
  supplemental legislative election to elect a legislator 
  to fill in more than half of the term left by Huang. Both 
  KMT and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) have decided 
  on nominees to run for the seat. The supplemental 
  election will be held on March 11. 
 
  KMT Candidate - Chiang Yi-hsiung 
  -------------------------------- 
  ¶2.  (SBU) The KMT selected Chiang Yi-hsiung as its 
  candidate through a party primary on Jan. 23. Chiang is 
  62 years old and has a doctorate in Law from Japan's 
  Meizi University.  A professor and Dean of Students at 
  National Chung Cheng University, Chiayi, Chiang served as 
  a National Assembly Member from 1991 to 1994.  His two 
  earlier bids for Chiayi City mayor in 1993 and 1997 
  failed. 
 
  DPP Candidate - Chen Li-chen 
  ---------------------------- 
  ¶3.  The Pan-green camp decided its joint candidate 
  through a vote between DPP Chen Li-chen and Taiwan 
  Solidarity Union Party (TSU) Ling Tzi-chu.  Former Chiayi 
  City Mayor Chen Li-chen defeated Ling to become the 
  candidate.  The TSU has expressed it will throw its full 
  support behind the DPP's Chen.  Chen, who was  Chiayi 
  Mayor from 2002 to 2005, lost her re-election bid to 
  current mayor Huang Min-hui in December 2005's "3-in-1" 
  election. 
 
  ¶4.  The KMT is working hard to retain the LY seat, buoyed 
  by its success in recapturing the Chiayi City mayoral 
  seat after 23 years of independent or DPP rule.  At the 
  request of KMT Chairman Ma Ying-jeou, the local KMT 
  headquarters has formed a campaign task force to help 
  Chiang in his upcoming campaign.  Meanwhile, DPP Chairman 
  Yu Shyi-kun has called on voters to support Chen in order 
  to break the Pan-Blue camp's "fragile majority" in the LY 
  (Pan-Blue  currentlyBlue currently has 111 of the 220 
  occupied LY seats).  (Note: Chiayi City has two 
  Legislative seats, the other seat is held by DPP 
  Legislator Tsai Tung-jung (Trong Chai). 
 
THIELE 
KEEGAN