TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The TPP on Sunday issued a directive barring its members from working with Hsinchu County candidates from other parties, signaling the formal collapse of the opposition coalition in the county.
TPP Secretary-General Chou Yu-hsiu (周榆修) said at a news conference that while several KMT lawmakers had expressed a willingness to campaign for TPP Zhubei mayoral candidate Chiu Chen-yuan (邱臣遠), the KMT’s recent ban on candidates in Hsinchu County campaigning with candidates from other parties demonstrated a lack of trust needed to facilitate cooperation, per UP Media. KMT Hsinchu County Branch Chair Yang Wen-ke (楊文科) issued the campaign ban Friday, per UDN.
KMT Hsinchu County magistrate candidate Hsu Hsin-ying (徐欣瑩) said Friday that she had never promised the TPP that she would allow Chiu to run on the opposition’s ticket, per TVBS. Her comments drew criticism from TPP Chair Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌), who accused Hsu of continuing to make false statements and distort the issue, per Liberty Times.
Before the opposition coalition collapsed, Hsu, backed by TPP supporters, narrowly defeated Hsinchu County Deputy Magistrate Chen Chien-hsien (陳見賢) in a contested primary. Chen’s camp has seemingly remained at odds with Hsu.
Local insiders have expressed concern that Hsu’s inability to manage friction within the opposition coalition could lead to a repeat of the failed joint presidential bid in 2024, per China Times. They also questioned whether TPP supporters would shift their support to the DPP.
Hsinchu County Council Speaker Chang Cheng-jung (張鎮榮), however, suggested that a breakdown in opposition cooperation would have a less significant impact because support for the TPP in Zhubei has declined, per Liberty Times. He said that while he was unaware of whether Hsu had made any personal promises to the TPP, neither KMT Chair Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) nor the KMT’s county branch had made such a promise.
A local TPP insider warned that without campaign support from the magistrate candidate, local races would become more difficult for TPP candidates, per UDN. The insider urged the party to handle future cooperation efforts more carefully to prevent local election candidates from bearing the consequences of the dispute.
