TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The newly formed Taiwan People's Party (TPP) disclosed on Tuesday (Nov. 19) its list of 29 nominees for legislator-at-large seats in the Jan. 11 elections, a week after the two major political parties nailed down their lists.
Social activist-turned-Taipei City Labor Affairs Department chief Lai Hsiang-lin (賴香伶) tops the list, followed by economist and NSYSU Professor Jang Chyi-lu (張其祿); Ann Kao (高虹安), former big data team leader at Foxconn and confidant to company founder Terry Gou (郭台銘); and entrepreneur Chiu Chen-yuan (邱臣遠).
Also on the list are Tsai Pi-ju (蔡壁如), physician and confidant to Taipei Mayor and TPP founder Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), entrepreneur Yang Bo-yu (楊博宇), and Cynthia Wu (吳欣盈), a member of the family behind the Shin Kong business empire.
Another high-profile nominee is Taipei City Government spokesperson Anne Huang (黃瀞瑩), who was ranked No. 13. Lai, Tsai, and Huang, who are still working in the Taipei City Government, are said to be resigning from their posts to dedicate themselves to the elections.
Ko said that the average age of TPP candidates is 41.4, much younger than the KMT's 65. When asked how many seats the party could secure, Ko responded that it is too hard to predict for now.
Ko added that "Unlike the ruling Democratic Progressive Party and the opposition Kuomintang, the TPP is looking at numbers and efficiency" in an effort to appeal to people across the political spectrum and frustrated swing voters in particular.
Another minority party, the People First Party (PFP), is slated to nominate its legislators-at-large candidates on Wednesday (Nov. 20), media reported.
