Half the respondents to a recent poll do not expect Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) presidential candidate Ko Wen-je to pick Foxconn founder Terry Gou as his running mate for the January 2024 election, reports said Friday (June 23).

Ko has been gaining ground in most surveys, leaving Kuomintang (KMT) candidate Hou Yu-ih in third place. Observers are watching to see whether Gou who earlier wanted the KMT nomination for himself will publicly come out in favour of the party’s official nominee, or throw his support behind Ko.

A Taiwanese Public Opinion Foundation (TPOF) survey found that 33.6 percent of respondents were optimistic that Ko could persuade Gou to join him on the ticket. However, 30.5 percent were not too optimistic, and 19.1 percent thought such an alliance could not come about, per UDN.

The 20-24 age group was the only one more optimistic about the possibility of a Ko-Gou ticket at 49%, compared to 42 percent who were pessimistic. With respondents aged 60 or over, only 13 percent expected Ko and Gou to agree on a joint ticket, while 60 percent held the opposite opinion.

Focus Survey Research conducted the opinion poll designed by TPOF on June 12-13, receiving 1,080 valid responses with a margin of error of 2.98%.

Within the KMT, some lawmakers advocated a change in candidate if Hou slips below 15 percent in the opinion polls. However, others said such a switch would amount to political suicide and lead to an almost-certain KMT defeat in the January 13, 2024 elections.

Hou is organising a support rally scheduled for July 2, with observers unsure whether Gou will attend or not, per CNA.

The New Taipei City mayor’s standing was recently damaged by scandals about the administering of sedatives to children at preschools in the city. The issue was thought to have played a major role in the KMT candidate falling further behind Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate vice President Lai Ching-te in most polls.

https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/4926740

Category: Taiwan