Surgeon Is Taiwan Candidate’s Running Mate

Taiwan’s top presidential candidate picked a doctor with no political experience to be his running mate Thursday, surprising many who expected him to lure away a big name politician from a major party.

After weeks of rumors and intense speculation, independent James Soong told reporters that U.S.-trained heart surgeon Chang Chao-hsiung would join him on the ticket for the March election.

“Taiwanese politics in the 21st century should have a new face and new politics,” said Soong, a former Taiwan governor who has a reputation for being responsive to the public’s needs.

Soong, a member of the ruling Nationalist Party, shook up the presidential race in July when he defied his party and began campaigning against the official Nationalist candidate, Vice President Lien Chan. Soong, 57, now faces expulsion from the party.

The maverick candidate threatens to split support for the Nationalists as they try to continue their 54 years of control of the island. The vote is Taiwan’s second direct presidential election.

Soong has a comfortable lead in most polls, which say second place is held by either Lien or former Taipei Mayor Chen Shui-bian of the Democratic Progressive Party. The candidates are vying to replace 76-year-old President Lee Teng-hui, who is retiring.

For weeks, local media reported lists of potential running mates for Soong, and the names changed almost daily.

Although Chang, 57, has no political experience, he fits Soong’s key requirements that his partner come from central or southern Taiwan and have extensive management experience.

By choosing Chang, Soong could ease many voters’ wariness that the presidential hopeful, born on the Chinese mainland, might sacrifice Taiwanese interests and seek reunification with the mainland, political analyst Yang Tai-shuen said.

While introducing his running mate, Soong tried to emphasize Chang’s close connection to Taiwan.

He noted that Chang finished his medical training in the United States and could have stayed in that country earning a high salary. Instead, Chang returned to his homeland in the 1970s to treat his fellow Taiwanese, earning only $64 a month, Soong said.

At his news conference, Soong asked Chang how many heart patients he has operated on, and the doctor said more than 10,000.

“Then I’ll have at least 10,000 votes,” Soong said.