Taiwan’s main opposition parties are throwing their support behind an independent candidate -- Ko Wen-je – in the race for Taipei mayor. That’s the word from an opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) official, Kao Chih-peng, on Monday.
Kao said the DPP had decided to throw its full support behind Ko rather than field a candidate of its own. That’s after the DPP candidate lagged behind Ko in a poll.
Kao said a DPP-led alliance would benefit Taipei, which has long been dominated by the ruling Kuomintang (KMT).
“The move would break the [KMT’s] monopoly on power and bring changes to Taipei," said Kao. "The DPP and Dr. Ko have reached a preliminary consensus and [we hope] the alliance can give Taipei the opportunity to reinvent itself.”
Meanwhile, Ko, a renowned surgeon and novice politician, said his agreement with the DPP would give him a lot of autonomy.
“The DPP will not meddle in my power to appoint city officials; I will decide on all appointees," said Ko. "I think the DPP has made a concession. Mayors and county commissioners should focus on doing a good job and reducing [the influence of political] ideology. My approach is to appoint people based on ability. I will not take party affiliation into consideration.”
The mayoral elections are scheduled for November 29th.