TAICHUNG (Taiwan News) — Foxconn founder and self-made billionaire Terry Gou (郭台銘) is a man who is used to getting what he wants.

When Kuomintang (KMT) Chair Eric Chu (朱立倫) decided to go with New Taipei Mayor Hou Yu-ih (侯友宜) over Gou as the presidential candidate, Gou was disappointed. Even so, he has been working to keep himself relevant in the presidential race.

In spite of pledging to support Hou, Gou has refused to even talk to the Hou camp and has been flirting with the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) candidate Ko Wen-je (柯文哲). This is causing considerable consternation and anxiety within the KMT.

Hou’s popular support has cratered and now polling has him coming in third, behind Ko. So far, his campaign has shown few signs of life, never mind turning things around.

Calls are rising from within the KMT to dump Hou, especially from the Gou camp. The clamor has gotten so loud Chu and other top KMT officials have had to publicly declare they were sticking with Hou.

By ignoring Hou and refusing to come to his aid, Gou is holding KMT party unity to ransom and undermining Chu. No doubt on some level, that is gratifying to Gou, as he and his supporters were very unhappy at how Chu skipped the normal primary process to unilaterally dictate the nomination process.

Revenge or petty spitefulness is not his main motivation, however: Gou is after something.

Offers Gou won’t accept

We know this because of his dalliance with Ko and the TPP. By doing that so publicly he is reminding the world of his long-standing relationship with Ko, and underscoring he has got options besides the KMT if he wants to make a political splash. That is a power move.

It’s theoretically possible all he wants is an apology, or to be consulted by the party over key issues. That seems unlikely for a man of his towering ambition.

Though there is plenty of speculation about Gou being nominated as the vice presidential candidate on either the KMT or TPP tickets, I think that is highly unlikely. Gou is used to running the show, it is doubtful he would accept playing second fiddle for up to eight years.

Worse, from his standpoint, if he served under a two-administration president, he would be in his 80s by the time he got his shot — and the public would likely by that point be ready for a different ruling party.

Some have bandied about the idea of putting him at the top of the party list, which would guarantee he would be selected for a seat in the legislature. He could then be installed as the president of the Legislative Yuan (normally referred to in English as the "speaker"). I also think this is highly unlikely.

First, the party that nominates him would need to secure a majority in the legislature to be able to vote him in. That is a big hurdle, and there is a strong chance in this election cycle no party will be able to secure an outright majority.

Even if they manage to get a majority, the party would then need to ensure that almost all party lawmakers vote for him, which also is far from certain as it would only take a dissenting handful to scupper the plan. Worse, he would almost certainly be terrible as speaker.

The speaker needs to understand the minutiae of legislative procedure and have strong political and diplomatic skills to get anything done. Gou is used to ordering people around, and lawmakers do not like that. He would likely, eventually, be voted out.

Power position

A deal he might consider is, if one of the parties offered him the post of president of the Executive Yuan (normally referred to as "premier" in English). That position is the second most powerful in government, comes with considerable power, is directly appointed by the president, and unlike the speaker position, it does not come with a messy and risky selection process.

Superficially at least, either the KMT or TPP might think it would even be a good idea to appoint Gou as premier, as it theoretically plays to Gou’s organizational and managerial strengths. In practice, it requires strong political communication skills, an understanding of how bureaucracy functions, and the legal limitations it operates under. It’s not hard to imagine him struggling in that position, but he is a fast learner, so it could work.

The KMT might offer it to Gou to bring him back in the fold and unite the party behind Hou. Strategically, pitching a Hou presidency paired with a Gou premiership would likely, at least initially, peel off some Ko supporters. Gou's status as a non-politician paired with a reputation for being able to get things done appeals to a similar base of voters as Ko.

For Ko and the TPP, pitching Gou as their premier would be on brand. The party’s identity is styled around being rational, scientific and pragmatic, skills Gou would have needed to build the world’s largest contract electronics manufacturer.

Additionally, Ko’s campaign is built around the concept of a cross-party coalition government beyond blue/green politics, and a business go-getter would fit right in. Plus, the TPP has far fewer resources than the two main parties … and Gou is a billionaire.

I think it’s quite possible one or both of the parties may offer him some sort of deal along these lines. However, at this point I do not think Gou would accept, at least not yet.

Rewarmed presidential campaign

I think the most likely explanation for what Gou is up to now is that he is keeping his options open and his foot in the game with an eye on running for president in one form or another. After all, he believes he has the backing of at least two gods in this quest. He clearly wants it, and he is not a man who takes "no" easily.

Almost certainly, he is hoping the "dump Hou" voices grow so loud that Chu will have no choice but to comply, and replace him with Gou. That is far from certain to happen, though that is exactly what the KMT did in 2016.

The TPP won’t choose him as their presidential candidate. Ko has already ruled it out, and he has been gaining in the polls and knocked Hou out of second place. The party has also noted that they have already raised a lot of money for the Ko campaign, and cannot swap him out now.

Gou may also consider an independent run, or even starting a new political party. Polling may either encourage him, or more likely deter him.

If it appears there is no viable path to the presidency, he may opt for an offer of the premiership.

But if he does not run for president or accept a premiership offer, then what? Then he becomes a big wildcard in the election.

He could opt to play nice and help out Hou, withdraw and exit the stage, or play spoiler by backing Ko and the TPP. There is precedent in his past actions that could support any of those possibilities.

Regardless of how things turn out, Gou has made himself a force to be reckoned with in this election.