TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Lin Guan-nian (林冠年), who is running for the head of a township in Hsinchu County, has been removed from the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) and seen his candidacy revoked after a drunk driving incident.

Lin was originally vying for the mayoralty of Zhubei City, a county-administered city in Hsinchu, in the year-end local elections, but was stripped of the chance after he was found to have engaged in driving under the influence of alcohol.

The politician said in a Facebook post that he had reached a settlement with the victim of a car accident in which he caused a slight collision due to “drowsy driving.”

The incident, though, was confirmed to be an outcome of driving under the influence, which led to an urgent meeting on Monday (Oct. 3) by the TPP electoral committee. The TPP on Tuesday (Oct. 4) said in a statement that Lin had been rendered disqualified for the election due to violations of party rules and expelled from the party.

It adds that the party adheres to a “zero-tolerance policy” toward drunk driving and that all cadres and prominent figures of the party are subject to “the highest moral standards.”

The TPP made it a doctrine in February to ban members from running for public office if they get caught drunk driving. Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), Taipei mayor and chairman of the party, is said to abhor drunk driving, having failed to save the life of a young doctor and student of his who was critically injured in a car accident during his days as a surgeon at the National Taiwan University Hospital.