TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) chair and presidential candidate Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) on Sunday (Nov. 5) called on the public to be patient as the Kuomintang (KMT)-TPP coalition decides on the presidential candidate process.
Every party has the right to seek the most favorable approach, Ko said. He explained KMT Chair Eric Chu's (朱立倫) strategy, to have legislative candidates vote for the presidential and vice-presidential candidates, would not work given that the KMT has 69 legislative candidates, while the TPP only has 11, per CNA. It is not reasonable for a party that has been established for only four years to be compared to a party that has been around for a hundred years, he said.
Ko said that the objective should be to integrate the middle-of-the-road voters who want to break free from the influence of the two major parties. He emphasized that if cooperation is possible, then it would be a good thing. However, if it is unattainable, the parties should go their separate ways.
The former Taipei mayor said that parties do not have to cooperate 100% of the time, and currently, the only thing undecided in the coalition is the selection of the presidential candidate. He noted that while Taiwanese people may not be accustomed to the delay, they should be patient and not rush to conclusions.