TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A simple majority of respondents want Lin Chih-chien (林智堅) to withdraw from the race for mayor of Taoyuan City after National Taiwan University (NTU) stripped him of his master’s degree due to plagiarism, an opinion poll said Thursday (Aug. 11).

The former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) mayor of Hsinchu City has been battling allegations that he copied large parts of other academics’ work for master’s theses at NTU and at Chung Hua University. The latter college is expected to present the results of its investigation next week.

Despite the NTU decision, Lin continued to defend his innocence and campaign for mayor, while receiving the backing of the DPP leadership, including its chairwoman, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文).

In a survey, the Taiwanese Public Opinion Foundation (TPOF) found that 48% of respondents wanted Lin to drop his bid for Taoyuan City mayor in the Nov. 26 elections. A total of 28.3% said he could stay in the race, while 16.1% offered no opinion, and 7.6% said they did not know.

Support for his withdrawal cut across age groups, with 72% of respondents between 20 and 24 and more than half those between the ages of 40 and 59 wanting Lin to abandon his bid, TPOF Chairman Ying-lung You (游盈隆) said.

People with a college education generally also said the candidate should drop out. When asked for party allegiance, more than half of DPP supporters and a simple majority of Taiwan Statebuilding Party voters said Lin could continue.

Supporters of other political parties voiced opposition to him staying in the race, ranging from 63% for the New Power Party (NPP) to 81% for the Kuomintang (KMT). Poll respondents describing themselves as neutral voters favored Lin’s withdrawing from the election, 44% to 14%.

Figures were similar for all cities and counties in Taiwan, with 62% of respondents in Taoyuan City saying Lin should not try to become their mayor and 20% disagreeing. The findings of the survey revealed the eruption of a political storm, You said.

The TPOF conducted its poll on Aug. 8-9, with questions focusing on whether Lin should end his election campaign if NTU ruled he had been guilty of plagiarism. The university announced its decision that he had plagiarized his thesis on Aug. 9.