Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presumptive presidential candidate Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱) has damaged the party’s chances in next year’s legislative elections with controversial remarks on China and cross-strait issues, according to KMT members who declined to be named.
Party sources said Hung’s contentious “one China, same interpretation” formula and a proposed cross-strait peace treaty have dimmed the party’s presidential and legislative races, as its support in southern Taiwan has failed to increase.
Furthermore, the party has admitted difficulty in campaigning in central and northern Taiwan — an unprecedented downturn that alerted upper echelons in the KMT, they said.
The KMT received a surge when Hung announced her candidacy in April and her strong showing boosted the party’s electoral momentum and helped reconsolidate the party’s local political networks, culminating in Hung’s poll rally against Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) after Hung survived the KMT presidential primary last month, sources said.
However, approval for Hung has plunged since she revealed her “one China, same interpretation” formula and began pushing for a cross-strait peace treaty, they said.
The difference in support for her and Tsai has widened from a single-digit margin to a double-digit gap in Tsai’s favor, the KMT sources said.
Alongside Hung’s slide are declines in the outlook for KMT hopefuls in legislative races, as legislators in southern Taiwan lose ground against their DPP opponents, the KMT sources said.
The KMT originally projected that the reconsolidation of local political networks on the back of Hung’s presidential bid would fuel momentum in Taipei and Taoyuan — traditionally considered KMT strongholds — and help stabilize constituencies in Taichung and New Taipei City, party sources said.
However, the DPP is closing the gap in some areas in Taichung and New Taipei City, with the DPP overtaking the KMT in certain districts for the first time, party sources said, citing the latest KMT data.
The sources said the survey was made before additional controversial remarks by Hung last week saying that her “one China, same interpretation” formula aims to have Beijing recognize the existence of the “government” of the Republic of China (ROC), rather than the existence of the ROC, which would constitute a “two-state” theory.
The KMT might fare worse factoring in the latest reaction to Hung’s remarks and possible electoral damage from it awaits further analysis, the sources said.
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