Dr Ko Wen-je takes the middle of the road to poll success in Taipei
Less than a year ago, Dr Ko Wen-je was perhaps best known as an outstanding physician at the island's top National Taiwan University Hospital.
Less than a year ago, Dr Ko Wen-je was perhaps best known as an outstanding physician at the island's top National Taiwan University Hospital.
Yesterday, however, 55-year-old Ko made history when he defeated Sean Lien Sheng-wen of the ruling Kuomintang to become mayor of Taipei, a traditional KMT stronghold.
Observers described Ko's political rise as a "phenomenon". An elite physician with no government experience, he nonetheless maintained a constant double-digit lead against Lien in opinion polls since announcing his bid in early January.
Ko, who ran as an independent, is an open and long-term supporter of former president Chen Shui-bian, of the Democratic Progressive Party, who is serving a 19-year jail term for bribery. Although Ko refused to join the DPP, it decided to back him after internal polls indicated he was more popular than any of their candidates.
Ko honed a campaign message of going "beyond the blue and green", seeking to stake out a position beyond the KMT's push for closer ties with Beijing and the DPP's pro-independence stance. That middle-of-the-road approach resonated with voters, especially younger ones.
"I am here because I want to end such opposition and hatred," Ko told supporters during a campaign rally. "I want to join all of you in pushing down this wall with love and hugs."