TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Former Kuomintang (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) on Monday (Aug. 2) announced his candidacy for party chairman, prompting a wave of comments from fellow party members.

Former KMT Vice Chairman Hao Lung-pin (郝龍斌) said in an interview with media that Chu is doing what he thinks is best for the party, which is worthy of recognition, per CNA. The KMT must have strong leadership and supervision and be able to implement policies that reflect public opinion in a timely manner, which is what the party will do in future reforms, Hao said.

He added that although he believed the current Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) administration has been lackluster with regard to vaccinations and epidemic prevention, the KMT should not hope for the opposition to fail. If the people do not feel the KMT has reformed and changed, its future growth could be problematic, he noted.

Current KMT Chairman Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) previously said the election for party chairman is a routine inner-party democratic procedure. He added that he respects any party member who is willing to run for the position. The chairman also said he welcomes healthy competition for elections within the party.

Meanwhile, former Changhua County Magistrate Chuo Po-yuan (卓伯源) said that he would like to give Chu his blessings. The election for party chairman will be held on Sept. 25.