After a number of public consultations, opinion polls, and discussions with political parties, the Central Election Commission has announced that it will combine the 2016 presidential and legislative elections.
The announcement on Thursday came after a final deliberative session that lasted for two hours. Central Election Committee Chairperson Liu I-chou said Thursday that the decision to combine the two elections reflects popular opinion. Liu also said that combining the elections will save resources and raise the number of people voting for legislators.
The election will be a critical one, especially for the ruling Kuomintang (KMT) in light of a serious defeat in local elections last November. Neither major party has announced potential candidates. KMT Chairman Eric Chu has denied any intention to run. Meanwhile, a recent announcement by Tainan Mayor William Lai stating that he will not run leaves the candidacy for the opposition DPP open to party head Tsai Ing-wen.