TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Former chairman of the opposition Kuomintang (KMT) expressed worry after the latest polls show Vice President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) leading in the constituency of New Taipei City Mayor Hou Yu-ih (侯友宜).
Support for Lai grew in multiple polls by different media outlets in the past month.
Known as the KMT's best shot at getting inside the Presidential Office in 2024, Hou has yet to announce his presidential bid, while Lai, of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), signed up for the party's presidential primary election on Wednesday (March 15).
Former KMT chairman and Legislator Johnny Chiang (江啓臣) said in an interview later that day that it is a worrisome poll result that Hou gained less support in the age bracket between 20 and 29 compared to Lai and, even worse, lost to his DPP rival in New Taipei City too.
The poll cited in the interview was carried out by Z.Media (震傳媒), which is reportedly affiliated with the KMT. According to the poll, Lai was favored by 39.3% of voters, followed by Hou's 27.8% and former Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je's (柯文哲) 18.2%.
"There are only 65% of pan-blue poll respondents saying they would cast their vote for Hou, and that is much less satisfactory," he added. "Hou should gain the support of close to 80% among the pan-blue voters to win the 2024 presidential race."
Chiang also expressed worry about the participation of Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman Ko and Foxconn Technology founder Terry Gou (郭台銘), who is now an independent, in the race. Chiang believes that would split the pan-blue voters, making the battle more difficult for the KMT.
Chiang said that the KMT should decide which candidate should represent the party as fast as it can and dedicate its resources to supporting the candidate to stop losing ground.
Lai continues to lead
In early March, a survey by Taiwan’s Broadcasting Corporation of China (BCC) with Gallup showed Lai with Vice Premier Cheng Wen-tsan (鄭文燦) as his running mate receiving 36.45% of the vote, with a combination of Gou with Ko as his running mate winning 23.59%; and Hou with Kuomintang (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) finishing third at 18.23%.
On Thursday (March 16), Taiwanese Public Opinion Foundation (TPOF) Chairman Ying-lung You (游盈隆) released a survey that shows 54.3% of voters disagree with Hou's running for the 2024 presidential election in less than a year after he was elected as the New Taipei City's mayor. In the same survey, 52.8% of voters said they would not support Hou if he decides to run for president.
