TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Former Premier Su Tseng-chang could be elected mayor of Taipei if the opposition Democratic Progressive Party nominates him for the year-end election, a poll said Tuesday. Su was leading Kuomintang incumbent Hau Lung-bin by more than 3 percent, according to a poll conducted for the Chinese-language China Times, a daily newspaper widely regarded as pro-KMT.
Su would receive 41.2 percent of the vote, Hau 37.7 percent, the paper said. If only independent voters were considered, 40 percent would vote for the DPP politician, and 23 percent for the KMT mayor, according to the survey.
Both major parties are expected to wait until May before nominating their candidates. As the incumbent, Hau is virtually certain to run for re-election, though the situation on the opposition side is less clear.
Su could also be nominated to run for mayor of the newly upgraded and renamed Xinbei or “New Taipei,” now still known as Taipei County. He was elected Taipei County Magistrate twice in the past. If Su runs for one office, DPP Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen could run for the other, reports said.
Apart from general dissatisfaction with the economic crisis and the policies of President Ma Ying-jeou, Hau has also been facing displeasure about recurrent problems with the Wenhu Mass Rapid Transit line and the Maokong Gondola system. Both were once touted as major achievements by Hau and Ma, his predecessor as mayor.
Asked for his reaction to the poll by reporters, Hau described Su as a “presidential candidate,” making it logical for him to score highly. The former premier is widely regarded as a likely DPP candidate for the March 2012 presidential election.
City spokeswoman Chao Hsin-ping said an internal survey conducted last month showed Hau with 41.4 percent and Su trailing far behind with 24.2 percent.
The capital has been traditionally regarded as a KMT stronghold. The DPP only ruled the city between 1994 and 1998, when Chen Shui-bian was mayor. In the most recent legislative elections, the KMT won all eight seats in Taipei City.
Elections for chief executives and councilors will also take place in the newly merged areas of Kaohsiung, Taichung and Tainan.
The China Times poll was conducted by phone on February 5 and counted 822 valid responses, the paper said. The margin of error was 3.5 percent.
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