TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan People's Party (TPP) presidential candidate Ko Wen-je revealed on Friday (Dec. 1) that during the negotiation process of a Blue-White coalition, the Kuomintang (KMT) informed him that to be an official presidential candidate, he would need to raise NT＄2 billion to NT＄10 billion in campaign funds.
In an exclusive interview with TVBS Situation Room, Ko discussed the financial issues encountered during the coalition talks with the KMT.
Following the official collapse of the coalition talks, Ko noted that the conglomerates initially willing to sponsor the TPP had only offered "verbal blessings."
Ko indicated that the TPP has estimated electoral expenses just over NT＄200 million, not exceeding NT＄300 million, but it is currently significantly short of their target. Ko joked that the campaign was nearly bankrupt due to these financial challenges.
Ko criticized Taiwan's high election expenses, suggesting that if presidential campaigns are extremely costly, politics will inevitably become intertwined with big businesses, disadvantaging the nation.
"If running for president costs so much money, I cannot believe that the country's politics will be any good. In the end, it will undoubtedly be tied to the conglomerates," Ko said, highlighting potential issues of political influence and campaign finance in Taiwanese politics.
