TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Former TPP Spokesperson Yang Pao-chen (楊寶楨) announced Tuesday that she has left the party to pursue a Taichung City Council seat as an independent candidate.
Yang had previously said she was considering leaving the TPP over what she described as a flawed nomination process, per UDN. Her potential departure drew criticism from within the party, including from Taichung City Councilor Chiang Ho-shu (江和樹), who had initially supported her candidacy.
In a Threads post announcing her departure, Yang cited what she described as a culture of bullying within the TPP and differences in political approaches as reasons for leaving.
TPP Taichung Branch Chair Chen Ching-lung (陳清龍) thanked Yang for her past contributions and wished her well in her future career, per Liberty Times. TPP Chair Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) expressed similar sentiments but suggested Yang had not cultivated sufficient grassroots support in Taichung before announcing her bid, per NOWNews.
Huang also speculated that the recent wave of party departures stemmed from members being unwilling to compete in primary elections, per Z.Media.
Former TPP member Tseng Yen-chieh (曾妍潔) expressed concerns similar to Yang’s before leaving the party to pursue a Taipei City Council seat, per Liberty Times. Tseng alleged that some members of the party’s disciplinary committee bullied members who criticized the party and suggested Yang could eventually leave the TPP.
Tseng also discussed difficulties she encountered during her campaign for a Taoyuan City Council seat representing Guishan District, per FTV. She said she initially ran at the party’s request but later quit over the involvement of a primary candidate whom she believed had less support than she did.
Tseng questioned the need for a primary instead of negotiations, adding that the TPP ultimately did not nominate her opponent after she withdrew. The party later nominated Chou Hsiao-yun (周曉芸) for Guishan District after Chou lost a New Taipei City Council primary to Chen Yen-ting (陳彥廷), per mnews.
A TPP campaign insider said the party’s current nomination woes stem from its shift away from nominating as many candidates as possible toward a more centralized and conservative nomination strategy, per Tai Sounds. The change came in response to setbacks in the 2022 local elections, when the TPP struggled to adequately support its candidates, per CNA.
The insider said the lengthy nomination process has created anxiety among aspiring candidates, many of whom would rather begin building support for their campaigns than wait for the limited resources the party can provide. The insider also warned that Taoyuan, where the TPP made significant gains in 2024, could be at risk because of what they described as mismanagement of the nomination process.
