TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Efforts to unify the Democratic Progressive Party in Tainan after a contentious mayoral primary stalled on Monday, as nominee Chen Ting-fei (陳亭妃) failed to reach a consensus with city councilors aligned with her former rival, Lin Chun-hsien (林俊憲).
Chen met Monday with DPP Tainan City Council Speaker Chiu Li-li (邱莉莉) and a group of councilors who supported Lin, per China Times. The pro-Lin faction presented a three-point declaration calling on Chen to:
- Sever ties with former Tainan City Council Speaker Kuo Hsin-liang (郭信良)
- Refrain from assisting Kuomintang, non-aligned, or other council candidates who attacked the DPP
- And support the speaker and deputy speaker candidates nominated by the DPP city council caucus
During the primary campaign, Lin’s camp criticized Chen over her relationship with Kuo, accusing her of working with KMT and non-aligned councilors to block DPP-backed speaker candidates. After the meeting, Tainan City Council caucus whip Li Tsung-han (李宗翰) said Chen and her allies declined to sign the declaration.
Chiu said Chen attended the meeting in good faith but acknowledged that the two sides failed to reach an agreement. She stressed that while Chen made verbal promises, she declined to sign the declaration.
Asked whether further talks would take place, Chiu said the party’s focus would now shift to city council primaries. Chen reportedly pledged only that she would not interfere in caucus affairs.
Lin criticized Chen’s refusal to sign, arguing that the declaration was necessary for her to make amends to the DPP grassroots over what he described as past harms, per Tai Sounds. He also said Chen should distance herself from Kuo, who is facing ongoing corruption proceedings.
Lin added that if Chen had met with President Lai Ching-te (賴清德), he would have urged her to sign the declaration immediately. Lin, a member of Lai’s New Tide faction, secured support from most local DPP officials and several party heavyweights during the primary, while Chen received little backing from prominent DPP politicians.
DPP Legislator Kuo Kuo-wen (郭國文) said he regretted Chen’s decision not to sign, describing the declaration as a way to address party concerns, per Fount Media. He suggested both sides could negotiate and attempt to reach a consensus on the terms.
Chen pushed back against the criticism, saying some party members needed to adjust their attitudes following the primary, per Liberty Times. She said Kuo is a city councilor in her district who has consistently supported her locally.
Chen argued that abandoning local allies for political convenience would be “heartless.” She added that if the party demanded cutting ties with anyone involved in litigation, she would have to sever relationships with many within the DPP.
A political insider said the declaration made little sense given Chen’s reliance on her local support base, arguing that turning her back on Kuo while his cases remain unresolved would amount to political betrayal, per Mirror Daily. The insider said signing the declaration could be seen as an admission of wrongdoing and a signal to Chen’s supporters that she had bowed to factional pressure.
