TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — KMT Legislator Hsu Hsin-ying (徐欣瑩) said Wednesday she will accept the party’s primary system for selecting its Hsinchu County magistrate candidate, despite previously describing it as a “black box.”
The KMT primary will use a mixed system that weighs public opinion polls at 70% and party member votes at 30%, per Tai Sounds. Hsu’s opponent, Hsinchu County Deputy Magistrate Chen Chien-hsien (陳見賢), formerly chaired the party’s Hsinchu County branch.
Hsu had favored an open primary, while Chen supported the mixed system. She said that although the KMT has not previously used the mixed primary format in Hsinchu County, she would accept it “as a new beginning.”
Hsu called for a process that is fair, just and transparent.
Compared with Chen’s strong local base, Hsu has drawn backing from several high-profile KMT figures, including Legislative Caucus Secretary-General Lo Chih-chiang (羅智強), Legislator Wang Hung-wei (王鴻薇) and Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安).
While the DPP has already named its candidate for Hsinchu County, the KMT will conduct polling for its primary from March 25-27, UDN. The timeline has drawn criticism from some within the party.
Former KMT lawmaker Lin Wei-chou (林為洲), who previously criticized the party’s handling of the Hsinchu primary, renewed his concerns, per Tai Sounds. Lin said the KMT’s success in defending legislative seats during the failed recall campaign against KMT lawmakers may have fostered overconfidence within the party.
Lin argued that some prospective candidates believed securing the KMT nomination alone would guarantee victory. He said what he described as manipulation of primary rules and timetables in Taichung and Hsinchu stemmed from that misplaced confidence.
A poll conducted by Formosa in early February found Hsu leading DPP Hsinchu County magistrate candidate Cheng Chao-fang (鄭朝方) by five percentage points, nearly doubling Chen’s support of 16.5%, per Mirror Media. The survey, conducted Feb. 4–5 among 1,073 respondents, had a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points at a 95% confidence level.
When asked about the timetable for nominating municipal candidates nationwide, KMT Chair Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) said the party aims to finalize about 90% of its nominations before the end of March, per Liberty Times.
