With the 2024 presidential election looming large, interactions between Taiwan’s three parties heat up.
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The progression towards the 2024 presidential election is making top headlines, with the candidates speaking to the public about their platforms and backgrounds.
The Kuomintang (KMT) party’s Hou Yu-ih (侯友宜) has been refuting pro-China concerns, calling himself a “Taiwanese native chicken,” meaning an ordinary local, who protects the safety of the people of Taiwan.
Hou’s running mate Chao Shao-kang (趙少康) also confirms that he is a native Taiwanese and says that their opponents should be discussing policies and focusing on political achievements instead of nationality.
Chao says now he has seen that Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) of the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) is a destroyer, not a builder. He is referring to the partnership between Hou and Ke that dissolved shortly after agreements were made, putting both parties at risk of severe public criticism.
The TPP’s support rate, which started out middling between the DPP and KMT, has indeed seen a dramatic drop since the botched team-up. Voters have moved mostly into the KMT’s corner, boosting blue support numbers.
The DPP, however, is still leading the race and some people from the TPP camp will also move to vote for the green party. Campaign head Yao Li-ming (姚立明) speaks, saying that many people including top politicians are sure that the DPP will win next year’s election.
As the battle continues toward January 13, the pattern seems to be returning to the traditional blue-green showdown. Every word and deed will matter in this close competition for the next presidency.