Chen gains ally, but sees factions rise against him
Groups will try to wrest power from island's leader: analyst
Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian has seen an ally elected to lead his Democratic Progressive Party, but the vote is also being seen as ushering in anti-Chen factions determined to wrest power from him.
As expected, Yu Shyi-kun won the leadership post, with 25,397, or 54.44 per cent, of the vote amid a turnout of just 19.96 per cent from 235,000 eligible party members. Mr Yu had previously been presidential secretary-general and also served as premier.
Legislator Chai Trong-rong, a hardline pro-independence activist, received 16,846 votes, while former Changhua county magistrate Wong Chin-chu, who was a legislator with the DPP's New Tide faction, noted for its critical position against Mr Chen, received just 4,406 votes.
Even before it started, the vote was seen as a proxy war between President Chen, Vice-President Annette Lu Hsiu-lien and former DPP chairman Lin Yi-hsiung.
Analysts said that although the result helped Mr Chen solidify his hold on power and avoid being reduced to a lame-duck president in his final two years in office, it also officially spelled the formation of an anti-Chen force.
'The DPP chairmanship by-election should not be seen as just a proxy war. More importantly, it is a war between pro-Chen and anti-Chen coalitions? said Philip Yang Yung-ming, director of the Taiwan Security Research Centre at Centre at the National Taiwan University.
Professor Yang said the anti-Chen factions would co-operate to wrest power from Mr Chen, which would intensify infighting within the party.
Analysts said that at the moment, the anti-Chen factions include those supporting the premier, the vice-president, some key members of the New Tide faction and Mr Lin.
Most analysts correctly predicted the outcome, as Mr Yu had the support of Mr Chen, former DPP chairman Su Tseng-chang and about half of the New Tide faction, which supports Mr Su.
Mr Chai, who had the backing of the vice-president and later Premier Frank Hsieh Chang-ting, sought to win votes through a charm offensive, with the 70-year-old even going so far as to strip off his shirt to show off the results of six months of weight-lifting.
Ms Wong, 59, who entered the race at a late stage, had the blessing of former chairman Lin Yi-hsiung, known as the 'conscience of the party', but she was not influential enough to draw votes away from her two peers, analysts said.
Mr Lin had gambled on his reputation in vouching for Ms Wong, saying the party would be better served by a leader who was not as power-hungry as Mr Yu or Mr Chai.
Mr Lin had criticised the DPP government as growing corrupt in the five years since Mr Chen won the presidency in 2000.
He said this was the reason for the DPP's setback in the December 3 local government polls and also why he did not support Mr Yu, who had been involved with the Chen government.
In those polls, the Kuomintang, Taiwan's main opposition party, swept to a clean victory.
The KMT captured 50.9 per cent of the votes, giving them 14 of the island's 23 city and county magistrate posts.
