Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman and presidential candidate Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) on Sunday evening visited the home of independent candidate Terry Gou (郭台銘), fueling speculation as a promised alliance between the TPP and Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) falters.
Gou campaign spokesperson Chen Chia-yi (陳家頤) confirmed Ko’s visit visit to the Hon Hai Precision Industry Co founder’s house, saying he arrived at about 7pm and stayed for a little over an hour.
Ko was there to ask about statistical analysis, particularly the disagreement in polling margin of error that caused a breakdown in KMT-TPP negotiations over a joint presidential ticket, Chen said.
Photo: Kan Meng-lin, Taipei Times
When asked, Ko’s campaign office spokesperson Vicky Chen (陳智菡) said it was a private visit and she did not know what was discussed.
The visit has fueled speculation about Ko’s next moves, after the TPP and KMT failed to reach a consensus on Saturday about who should run as president on the January ballot, citing disagreements about how polling results should be interpreted.
Ko during a campaign event earlier in the day said he would “extend the utmost goodwill, uniting all possible forces” to form a joint ticket. However, he also vowed to “fight to the end” in his capacity as the TPP’s presidential candidate.
Gou, who is running as an independent, has collected the required number of signatures to appear on the ballot.
Asked about when Gou plans to formally register as a candidate, Chen Chia-yi said that “anything is possible” before the Friday deadline.
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