The four camps of the candidates in the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairperson election yesterday gave assessments of their prospects in today’s vote.
The candidates are: KMT Chairman Johnny Chiang (江啟臣), who took office on March 9 last year as the party’s youngest-ever chairman; former New Taipei City mayor Eric Chu (朱立倫), who was elected KMT chairman in an unopposed by-election in January 2015 and resigned in January 2016 following the party’s losses in the presidential and legislative elections; Sun Yat-sen School president Chang Ya-chung (張亞中); and former Changhua County commissioner Cho Po-yuan (卓伯源).
Chiang spokesman Cheng Chao-hsin (鄭照新) said Chiang’s call for party solidarity has garnered him support, as KMT members have expressed concern that attacks Chu and Chang have instigated against each other might create rifts.
Chu has said that Chang is pushing for Taiwan to unify with China, while Chang has questioned Chu’s knowledge of diplomatic issues.
Chu spokesman Ling Tao (凌濤) said that Chu’s campaign message is clear — the KMT must prosper in next year’s general elections and win the 2024 presidential election.
Chu yesterday issued an open letter critiquing the Democratic Progressive Party, which also calls for KMT members who have not decided which chairperson candidate they will vote for to cast a ballot, Ling said.
A member of Chu’s camp said on condition of anonymity that polls show that support for Chiang was lagging far behind Chu, with Chang expected to be Chu’s main opponent.
Chang’s cross-strait views have caused anxiety in the party, which was a factor in Chu taking a lead in polls in Taichung, a strong support base for Chiang, the person said.
However, Chu’s numbers in Taipei and New Taipei City are more concerning, they said.
Chang spokesman Ho Chi-sheng (何啟聖) said that Chang’s campaign was confident about the support it has generated, but is not certain how many votes it would receive.
There are too many factors at play, Ho said.
Cho spokesman Wu Ming-sheng (吳明聖) said that Cho sought to rally the support of all 370,000 KMT members.
The KMT National Congress today is to hold elections for party delegates alongside the chairperson vote.
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