Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) yesterday said that it is still too early to say who he would team up with for the Nov. 24 local elections, but confirmed that a close aide has resigned from their post to become his first campaign assistant.
Ko yesterday morning attended a campaign event held by People First Party (PFP) Taipei city councilors Lin Kuo-cheng (林國成) and Hung Shih-chi (洪士奇), giving rise to speculation about whether he might seek a coalition with the party in the nine-in-one elections.
He also attended New Power Party (NPP) Taipei city councilor candidate Hsiao Hsin-cheng’s (蕭新晟) campaign office opening last month.
Photo: CNA
Political observers have speculated that Ko would continue to cooperate with candidates of smaller parties.
When asked if he would form a coalition with the PFP, Ko said that he would try to attend any campaign event and support any councilor candidate that invited him, time permitting.
“My basic strategy is to have more friends and fewer enemies,” he said. “I am willing to show my support if the person is a suitable candidate.”
Asked about the possibility of him “sharing the [campaign] stage” with PFP Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜), Ko said that he visits Soong about every one or two months.
Soong appears to have no intention of running in elections ever again, so his advice seems more objective, Ko said.
Asked about an announcement on Facebook last week that he is recruiting people for his campaign team and a rumor that a mayoral office employee had resigned to join the team, Ko said: “It sounds a little shabby, but there is only one person sitting in my campaign office right now.”
Ke Yu-an (柯昱安) has become the first member of his campaign team, Ko said.
Ke had been managing his social media accounts, which is almost like assisting his election campaign, Ko said, adding that he decided to let him work at his campaign office to avoid being accused of using public resources for election purposes.
Asked about applications for other campaign aide positions, Ko said that his close aides have been reading resumes, but he had no further details yet.
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