KMT agrees to discuss TPP proposal for joint presidential ticket (update)
ROC Central News Agency
10/10/2023 05:31 PM
Taipei, Oct. 10 (CNA) Taiwan's two opposition parties, the Taiwan People's Party (TPP) and the Kuomintang (KMT), could be closer to agreeing on collaboration terms for the 2024 election after the KMT agreed to a TPP proposal to discuss a potential joint presidential ticket on Tuesday.
The TPP has said that whoever has the highest opinion poll ratings out of KMT presidential candidate Hou Yu-ih (侯友宜) and TPP presidential candidate Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) should be on the ticket as the presidential candidate, with the losing side proposing the option for vice president.
According to Lee Li-chen (李利貞), spokesperson for Hou's campaign, it is essential that any KMT-TPP cooperation revolves around the idea of working toward 'the greater good'
Regarding cooperation parameters, the KMT maintains an open stance without specific preconditions, including a willingness to discuss using opinion polls to determine who runs as the presidential candidate, she said in a press release Tuesday.
With less than 100 days remaining until Taiwan's 2024 presidential election, recent polls indicate a likely win for the Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) presidential candidate, Lai Ching-te (賴清德), while Hou and Ko compete for second, and independent Terry Gou (郭台銘) trails behind.
This indicates that cooperation between Ko and Hou could be crucial if the DPP is to be defeated.
Lee also urged the TPP to promptly appoint representatives for bilateral discussions following Hou's proposal Monday that King Pu-tsung (金溥聰), the executive officer of his campaign office and KMT secretary-general Justin Huang (黃健庭), engage in preliminary discussions with Ko's team.
In response, Ko said in a press conference held later on Tuesday that his campaign director, Huang Shan-shan (黃珊珊), and campaign manager, Chou Yu-hsiu (周榆修), will engage in discussions with the KMT to explore potential collaboration options.
The former Taipei mayor outlined how the priority of the initial talks will be to organize three policy debates between Ko and Hou. Subsequently, there will be a comparative analysis of poll results.
Addressing queries from reporters, Huang, who served as Ko's deputy during his mayoral term, underscored the importance of transparency and openness while the two sides are communicating.
The TTP aims to wrap up the debates and polling by the end of this month, about 24 days before the deadline for presidential and vice-presidential candidates to register their candidacy, she added.
Meanwhile, Gou said to his supporters on Tuesday that he understands "the public's eagerness for opposition cooperation" and hinted that "new hope" could soon emerge, without expanding.
(By Wang Chen-chung, Chen Yu-ting, Kuo Chien-shen and Chung Yu-chen)
Enditem/kb
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
