Former Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮, right) and Pasuya Yao (姚文智, left)/CNA file photo

Taipei, May 30 (CNA) Former Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) bid farewell to the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Wednesday in a cryptic statement issued by her office.

"When a political party has lost its principles and soul, it is better to leave than to stay in pain," said Lu, who had earlier declared her intention to run for Taipei mayor on the DPP ticket.

On Wednesday, however, the DPP's Central Standing Committee named Pasuya Yao (姚文智) as the party's candidate to run against the independent incumbent Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) and the opposition Kuomintang's Ting Shou-chung (丁守中).

Hours after Yao was announced as the DPP candidate, Lu's office issued the statement, which seemed to indicate that she was quitting the party.

"People with differing ideas cannot work together," Lu said. "Bye, bye, DPP."

Her office has not responded to reporters' questions about whether the statement indeed meant she was renouncing her DPP membership.

The DPP, meanwhile, responded with a short statement, saying the former vice president's decision was regrettable but that the party would respect it.

Asked to comment, Yao said that he would rather not believe Lu had taken such a position.

Lu, 74, served as Taiwan's vice president from 2000 to 2008 under the DPP's Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and has been a longtime member of the party which was founded in 1986 since November of 1990.

(By Yeh Su-ping and Kuan-lin Liu)
Enditem/pc