TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Democratic Progressive Party (DPP, 民進黨) spokesperson Justin Wu (吳崢) stated on Monday (Sept. 8) that the party respects the judicial process and will not comment on individual cases following former Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je's (柯文哲) bail arrangement. The Taipei District Court (台灣台北地方法院) ordered Ko on Friday (Sept. 5) to post bail of NT$70 million (around US$2.3 million). Ko agreed to let his wife, Chen Pei-chi (陳佩琪), handle the subsequent bail procedures.
New Taipei City Councilor Cho Kuan-Ting (卓冠廷) criticized Taiwan People's Party (TPP, 民眾黨), Taiwan's third-largest political party, Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) during an interview, saying he pushed the party to extremes over the past year. Cho suggested Ko would rethink the party's direction following his legal troubles. He noted that Huang's resorting to support from Kuomintang (KMT, 國民黨), Taiwan's main opposition party, led to the party's complete opposition to the Democratic Progressive Party's policies, which Cho believes is detrimental to the party's growth.
Cho emphasized that, following Ko's bail, he must address both legal issues and the TPP's survival, while Huang focuses on his political future. He cautioned against expecting significant cooperation between the Taiwan People's Party and the Democratic Progressive Party after Ko's release. The councilor's comments reflect growing tensions within Taiwan's political landscape as the third-party movement faces internal challenges and external pressures.
