Acting Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) today announced he would run for party chair with the election set to be held next month.
Former party chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) resigned earlier this month, as he is still being held in detention as part of an ongoing investigation into the Core Pacific City redevelopment corruption case.
Photo: Chen Yi-kuan, Taipei Times
Huang announced his candidacy on Facebook this morning, saying his goal is to “strengthen Taiwan’s third force,” referring to the party.
“Taiwan’s third force is a hard-earned flame that is vital for future democratic development and must not be extinguished,” he said.
The party needs to focus on three goals, Huang said.
First, it needs to find more leaders to guide society toward steady progress in next year’s local elections, he said.
Second, it must maintain its responsibility to curb the expansion of government power and speak up for the people, he said.
“Taiwan belongs to the Taiwanese people, not to the Democratic Progressive Party,” he said.
Third, it must carry the spark ignited by Ko, building the blueprint for Taiwan’s future development, he said.
While Ko is unable to lead the party, Huang would make every effort to move the party forward, bringing about reforms and progress that Taiwan needs, he said.
“Comrades, let us work together so that Ko will be proud of this party when he returns,” Huang said.
The election for party chair is to take place on Feb. 15 from 9am to 4pm through online voting, the party said.
Candidates must have joined the party before Feb. 14 last year and been a Central Committee member to qualify, according to party regulations.
The party’s top leaders have agreed to support Huang, people familiar with the matter said.
Huang has the unanimous support of the party and no one dares challenge him for the position, an anonymous party member said.
The only other eligible party member with sufficient backing is founding party member Tsai Pi-ju (蔡壁如).
During a political talk show yesterday, Tsai said she would not necessarily run and would only decide after discussing it with key party leaders.
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