James Soong

James Chu-yu Soong (宋楚瑜 Wade-Giles: Sung Ch'u-yü; pinyin: Sòng Chǔyú; born March 16, 1942) is a politician in the Republic of China on Taiwan. He founded and chairs the People First Party, which favors eventual Chinese reunification.

2004 presidential elections

Despite the personal rivalries between Lien, the KMT chairman after 2000, and Soong, the KMT and PFP pledged to cooperate in future elections to prevent splitting the vote, as they basically share the same electorate. Though losses in the 2001 legislative elections made the DPP the largest single party in the Legislative Yuan, the pan-blue coalition retained a narrow majority over the pan-green coalition.

Related Topics:
2000 - 2001 legislative elections - Legislative Yuan - Pan-blue coalition - Pan-green coalition

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Soong ran as Vice Presidential candidate under Lien Chan in the 2004 elections. Some believe that the PFP's lack of experienced candidates in the December 2002 mayoral elections in Taipei and Kaohsiung (the PFP supported the KMT's candidates), and the PFP's poor performance the city council elections in those cities at the same time were major setbacks to Soong's chances of being the KMT-PFP candidate for president. There were widespread rumors that Soong agreed to take the Vice-Presidential post in exchange for a pledge by Lien to give him significant power including the Premiership. Many KMT members opposed the linkage as they considered Soong an opportunist and traitor. Soong's supporters cited that he was more popular than Lien, as consistently demonstrated by polls and the results of the 2000 presidential elections. Though both men garnered a combined 60% of the vote in 2000 (compared to Chen's 39%) they lost to Chen by a mere 0.22% of the vote and never conceded.

Related Topics:
Lien Chan - 2004 elections - 2002 - Taipei - Kaohsiung

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