國民黨總統候選人臨陣換將

Taiwan’s governing party has taken the drastic step of replacing its candidate for January’s presidential election, reflecting growing unease about its candidate’s plans for closer relations with the mainland.

臺灣執政黨採取果斷措施，更換了該黨1月總統大選的候選人，反映出各方對這位候選人與大陸建立更緊密關係的計劃越來越感到不安。

At an emergency meeting on Saturday, delegates from the Kuomintang or Nationalist party voted to replace Hung Hsiu-chu, the straight-talking legislator who polls showed was trailing Democratic Progressive party candidate Tsai Ing-wen.

在上週六舉行的一次緊急會議上，國民黨(KMT)的代表們投票換下直言不諱的立委洪秀柱(Hung Hsiu-chu,上圖)。民調顯示，她的支持率不及民進黨(DPP)候選人蔡英文(Tsai Ing-wen)。

The all-female election would have been a first for Taiwan and guaranteed the election of its first female president. But analysts say Ms Hung’s views on cross-strait relations, including advocating a peace treaty with China, made voters uneasy.

兩位女候選人對決的總統大選本將是臺灣首次，而且確保了此次大選將誕生臺灣首任女總統。但分析人士表示，洪秀柱有關兩岸關係的觀點（包括倡導與中國大陸簽訂和平協議）讓選民們感到不安。

“Her views on Taiwan's future relations with China were out of step with mainstream opinion in Taiwan. They went beyond what most Taiwanese — KMT voters included — are willing to countenance,” said J Michael Cole of Thinking Taiwan, a think-tank backed by Ms Tsai’s foundation.

由蔡英文旗下基金會支持的智庫——想想論壇(Thinking Taiwan)的寇謐將(J. Michael Cole)表示：“她對於臺灣未來與大陸關係的看法與臺灣主流民意不符。這些看法超出了多數臺灣人（包括國民黨選民）願意認同的限度。”

“Taiwanese were generally OK with liberalisation of cross-strait ties, but they have drawn clear lines and Ms Hung was threatening to cross those.”

“臺灣人總體上支持放開兩岸關係，但他們劃出了明確界限，而洪秀柱威脅要突破這些界限。”

Current president Ma Ying-jeou, who will complete his second four-year term next year, generally improved relations with China, but recently plans for a trade agreement sparked opposition. That proposal contributed to the KMT suffering big losses in local elections in November.

現任總統馬英九(Ma Ying-jeou)將於明年結束第二任4年任期，他總體上改善了兩岸關係，但最近有關一項貿易協議的計劃引發了反對聲浪。該計劃導致國民黨在去年11月的地方選舉中遭遇重大失利。

The Kuomintang party said that the decision was intended to “cope with a severe test of the party's survival and development”. Some candidates and village chiefs had refused to run under the KMT flag or support the party with Ms Hung in charge.

國民黨表示，替換洪秀柱是因爲“當前本黨生存與發展面臨嚴峻考驗”。一些候選人和村裏長拒絕在國民黨的旗幟下參選，也拒絕在洪秀柱擔任候選人的情況下支持國民黨。

If the January 16 election goes as polls now predict, the DPP could win the presidency and a majority in the legislature for the first time.

如果明年1月16日大選結果一如民調現在預測的那樣，民進黨可能將贏得總統大選，並首次在立法院贏得多數席位。

At the meeting on Saturday, 812 of 891 delegates voted to remove Ms Hung. She will be replaced by Eric Chu, KMT’s chairman and mayor of New Taipei. Mr Chu and other KMT heavyweights had declined to challenge Ms Hung for the nomination in July.

在上週六的會議上，在891名國民黨代表中，有812人投票支持替換洪秀柱，由國民黨主席、新北市市長朱立倫(Eric Chu)接任。朱立倫和國民黨其他重量級人物曾拒絕在7月黨內提名時挑戰洪秀柱。