Opposition party cooperation in 2024 elections still possible

• It remains possible that the Kuomintang (KMT) could cooperate with the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) in the 2024 presidential and legislative elections, despite the fact that the two parties have nominated their own presidential candidates, but there remain challenges ahead, party sources said 17 May.
• According to KMT sources, the nomination of Hou by the KMT and Ko by the TPP has added more uncertainty to the prospect for “blue-white cooperation” in the presidential election, which will be held in tandem with the legislative election in Jan 24, referring to the colors that denote the two opposition parties, respectively.
• Asked by reporters about the issue after his nomination, Ko said the chance of him running for the presidency to the very end is 99.99999%.
• KMT Legislator Hung Mong-kai said he hopes both parties remain open to exploring possibilities for cooperation.
• If there is a consensus among the two parties that blue-white cooperation can help to oust the DPP from government, there is nothing the KMT and TPP cannot work out, Hung said.
• Another KMT source said any cooperation between the blue and white camps is likely to focus on fielding legislative candidates with an aim to securing a majority in the Legislative Yuan and proposing joint policy platforms, rather than the two parties running on the same presidential ticket.
• However, a different KMT source said as both parties are seeking to expand their respective legislative bases in the election, that undercuts any chance of cooperation in the legislative election.
• On top of which, the KMT holds 37 seats in the 113-seat Legislature, while the TPP holds five seats, all at-large seats appointed to reflect the votes the party received in the 2020 legislative election.
• One of the main reasons Ko is running for the presidency is to boost the TPP’s morale and support for its legislative candidates, while the KMT is looking to win an outright majority, the source said.
• As such, the KMT will not yield to the TPP in legislative constituencies where it has a better chance of winning and the TPP will not nominate a candidate in district that favors a DPP candidate, the source said.

External Link : https://focustaiwan.tw/politics/202305170023