TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕) told a business association Wednesday that she would not run for KMT chair because she wanted to serve out her term as mayor.

The elections for leader of the opposition party have been scheduled for October, but even with incumbent Chair Eric Chu (朱立倫) insisting he will not run, no obvious contender has emerged. Lu, 64, has been mentioned as the most obvious choice for leader and for candidate in the 2028 presidential elections.

In a speech at the Chinese National Association of Industry and Commerce on Wednesday, Lu insisted she would not run for KMT chair this year, the Liberty Times reported. Lu said she had signed a contract with the city of Taichung, requiring her to serve out her term as mayor.

The former television presenter was elected mayor in 2018 and reelected in 2022. Her second and final term will end in December 2026.

Lu told business leaders in Taipei that she never discussed politics, elections, or party affairs while on the job as mayor. Her work in Taichung was the reason she was not planning to run for KMT chair, she added.