The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) would not rule out cooperating with the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) in next year’s presidential and legislative elections, although both parties have fielded their own presidential candidates and challenges remain, KMT sources said on Wednesday.
The KMT on Wednesday nominated New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) as its presidential candidate for the January election, while former Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) was formally named as the TPP’s nominee, setting up a three-way race with the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) candidate, Vice President William Lai (賴清德).
The nominations of Hou and Ko have added more uncertainty to the prospect of a “blue-white cooperation” in the presidential election, which is to be held in tandem with the legislative elections on Jan. 13, referring to the colors that denote the two opposition parties.
Photo: Tu Chien-jung, Taipei Times
Asked about the issue after his nomination, Ko told reporters that the chances of him running for the presidency to the very end is 99.99999 percent.
KMT Legislator Hung Meng-kai (洪孟楷) said he hoped both parties remain open to exploring possibilities for cooperation.
If there is a consensus between the two parties that a blue-white cooperation would help oust the DPP from government, there is nothing the KMT and TPP cannot work out, Hung said.
Another KMT source said that any cooperation between the blue and white camps is likely to focus on fielding legislative candidates, with an aim to securing a majority in the Legislative Yuan and proposing joint policy platforms, rather than the two parties running on the same presidential ticket.
However, another KMT source said that as both parties are seeking to expand their respective legislative bases, that undercuts any chance of cooperation in the legislative election.
At present, the KMT holds 37 seats in the 113-seat legislature, while the TPP holds five, all at-large seats appointed to reflect the votes the party received in the 2020 legislative election.
One of the main reasons Ko is running for the presidency is to boost the TPP’s morale and support for its legislative candidates, while the KMT is looking to win an outright majority, the source said.
As such, the KMT would not yield to the TPP in legislative constituencies where it has a better chance of winning and the TPP would not nominate a candidate in districts that favor a DPP candidate, the source said.
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