Former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) yesterday said he opposed forcing former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairman Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) out of the year-end elections, while expressing support for an election bid by DPP Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文).

Chen’s secretary, Chiang Chih-ming (江志銘), said the former president complained that no one in the DPP came out to defend Hsieh when he was attacked by the pro-unification media and portrayed as a traitor during the Martial Law era.