TPP rejects KMT’s primary proposalNEGOTIATIONS: As TPP presidential candidate Ko Wen-je’s office listed issues with the primary proposal, New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi said it is scientific and democraticBy Huang Ching-hsuan / Staff reporterTaiwan People’s Party (TPP) chairman and presidential candidate Ko Wen-je’s (柯文哲) campaign office yesterday listed three issues with an open primary system proposed by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential candidate Hou You-yi’s (侯友宜) office, saying it respects the suggestion but cannot accept it. An open primary election would have three issues, namely under-representation, listing issues and limited preparation time, Ko’s office said. It is also difficult for the two parties to create a primary election list with accreditation and sufficient security in such a short time, it added. According to the KMT’s suggested timetable, the primary election should be completed by Nov. 10, which is 26 days away, it said, adding that the DPP adopted the same open primary system in 1995, and it took over six months to prepare to collect about 300,000 votes. Earlier yesterday, Hou said the open primary election has been used in many democratic countries for many years, including the US, France and South Korea.

Source: Taipei Times October 15, 2023 17:54 UTC