Taipei (AsiaNews/Agencies) - Taiwan's Kuomintang yesterday officially nominated Ma Ying-jeou and former premier Vincent Siew Van-chang as its candidates for president and vice-president in next March elections. After accepting the nomination yesterday during the party's one-day national congress held in Taoyuan, outside Taipei, Mr Ma vowed to respect the spirit of Taiwan's constitution.
"I will let the party or political alliance winning a majority in parliament form the cabinet in line with the dual leadership system and the spirit of the constitution," he said.
A Harvard-trained lawyer, the 56-year-old former KMT chairman who was indicted on corruption charges linked to his term as Taipei's mayor, said he would "appoint a Democratic Progressive Party premier" if the pro-independence party controlled the legislature.
Moreover, he vowed to lift Taiwan's economic growth rate to over 6 per cent if he is elected president.
Announcing his campaign platform, Ma drew a rosy picture for Taiwan's economic growth that has lagged behind most of its Asian neighbours and has been cited by critics as a source of distress for the general public.
"We expect to achieve a target economic growth of at least 6 per cent a year from 2008, a per capita income of US,000 by 2011 and creation of 100,000 job opportunities as well as an unemployment rate of below 3 per cent," Ma stated.
In response, the DPP parliamentary leader Ker Chien-ming, said Ma's offer was merely "campaign language," which basically meant nothing. Ma's DPP opponent, former premier Frank Hsieh Chang-ting, called the former mayor's promise a campaign gimmick and "empty words” to sway voters.
Mr Hsieh also promised to form a coalition government if he is elected and his party fails to control the legislature, but stressed that he will team up with the minority or independents rather than the KMT to form a coalition government. This way, he would still be able to command, he said.