TAIPEI (TVBS News) — In an interview on Tuesday (Nov. 14), Xiao Xucen, executive director of the Ma Ying-jeou Foundation, confirmed that KMT Chairman Eric Chu agreed to make public the next round of coalition talks.The potential coalition between the Kuomintang (KMT) and the Taiwan People's Party (TPP) is currently a focal point in Taiwan's political landscape.
Amid strong support from influential figures like former President Ma Ying-jeou and former Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu, both advocating for national polling, TPP candidate Ko Wen-je has called for transparent coalition talks with Chu. Ko, emphasizing the urgency of the matter, expects a resolution within days and has invited Ma Ying-jeou to act as a support witness.
Despite the ongoing debates within the proposed KMT-TPP alliance, recent poll results from United Daily News indicate strong public support for a coalition ticket featuring TPP's Ko and KMT's Hou Yu-ih, outperforming the Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) rumored pairing of Vice President Lai Ching-te and Taiwan's representative to the U.S., Hsiao Bi-khim.
The poll also suggests that if the KMT-TPP joint ticket does not reach an agreement and independent candidate Terry Gou enters the race, Lai would lead with 26 percent support. Ko and Hou are expected to secure 21 percent and 18 percent support, respectively.
However, in Gou's absence, the KMT-TPP coalition could gain a solid 41 percent support, six percent ahead of the DPP candidates.
Should Gou decide to compete, the poll indicates significant shifts in support for both the KMT-TPP and DPP coalitions. The KMT-TPP's support rate could drop by five percent, while the DPP might struggle to attract even a quarter of Taiwan's voters.
