Taiwan's main opposition Kuomintang party failed to reach a conclusion yesterday on who should represent it in the race for the island's presidency next year.
Other than resolving to find the 'strongest team' to be KMT's standard-bearer, party leaders were unable to bridge the differences between former chairman Ma Ying-jeou and the Speaker of the island's legislature, Wang Jin-pyng.
Political analyst Hsu Yung-ming, of top Taiwanese institution Academia Sinica, said if no compromise was reached between the two, a KMT split would be inevitable.
Ma resigned as party chairman on Tuesday after he was charged with corruption, but at the same time declared his intention to contest the presidential election.
According to prosecutors, Ma embezzled more than NT$11 million (HK$2.6 million) in special government allowances while Taipei mayor between 1998 and 2006.
Ma set up a campaign headquarters in Taipei yesterday to underline his determination to run for the presidency, which he said was a way to reclaim justice.