Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) yesterday downplayed speculation that he is seeking a coalition with the People First Party (PFP) in November’s nine-in-one elections, saying only that he is to attend a campaign event jointly held by PFP and independent Taipei city councilor candidates next month.
PFP Taipei city councilor candidates Vivian Huang (黃珊珊), Lin Kuo-cheng (林國成) and Hung Shih-chi (洪士奇) are to form an alliance with independent Taipei city councilor candidates Chen Cheng-chung (陳政忠), Lee Ching-yuan (李慶元) and Hsu Li-hsin (徐立信), the Chinese-language Mirror Media magazine reported online on Wednesday.
The alliance is to host a press conference early next month to garner support for the candidates and there is a possibility that PFP Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) and Ko would attend, the magazine quoted an unnamed PFP member as saying.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
The PFP is still considering whether Soong should attend and express support for Ko’s re-election bid, the member said, adding that nothing has been decided yet.
“In principle, we want to have fewer enemies and more friends,” Ko told reporters on the sidelines of the opening ceremony of a “healthy public housing” in Songshan District (松山).
Ko said he is aware of the PFP’s joint campaign event and that he would attend, adding that he speaks to Soong once every one to two months.
In related news, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Taipei mayoral candidate Ting Shou-chung (丁守中) yesterday said that he still views Ko as his sole opponent in the Nov. 24 mayoral race.
Speaking on the sidelines of a public event in Taipei, which was also attended by former vice president Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) — one of the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) mayoral aspirants — Ting reiterated his pledge to quit politics if he comes in second in the election.
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