TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Former Changhua County Commissioner Cho Po-yuan (卓伯源) announced on Wednesday he would run for chair of the KMT to bring the opposition back to power in 2028.

The election is expected in September, with incumbent Eric Chu (朱立倫) widely predicted to run for a new four-year term. Whoever wins will manage the campaign for the 2026 local and regional elections, and the run-up to the January 2028 presidential and legislative elections.

Cho said he wanted to become the “kingmaker” for the presidential vote, but emphasized he would not be a candidate, per CNA. He added he wanted to win back the country for the KMT in 2028, achieving a new alternation of power.

However, if opinion polls showed there was a more popular candidate to lead the opposition party, he would be willing to support that contender. 

Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕) has been mentioned as a potential choice as party chair or as presidential candidate. Cho said he had contacted her, but she said she was too busy running her city to run for party chair.

Turning to national politics, he called on the DPP government to stop the recall campaigns against KMT lawmakers and to abandon Taiwan independence. He also demanded a halt to what he called the “outflow” of the manufacturing sector, and an end to the move toward a nuclear-free homeland.

The KMT also needed to reflect why, though running 15 counties and cities, it had been unable to win the January 2024 presidential elections, Cho said.