Could Taiwan’s ‘white’ knight Ko Wen-je smash through the island’s blue-green split?
- Polls put the former Taipei mayor, who is especially popular with young people, just a few points behind his rivals from the main parties
- He has tried to position himself as straddling the divide between the independence-leaning green camp and the mainland-friendly blue side
The head of the Taiwan People’s Party once said he would have zero chance of winning, but analysts now believe he is capable of mounting a genuine challenge to the candidates from the two biggest parties.
But Ko, who stepped down as mayor of Taipei last year, has now confirmed his entry into the high-stakes contest, which will be held amid growing tensions with Beijing, which it regards as a breakaway province and has not renounced the use of force to bring it under its control.
He has steadily polled at around 20 per cent in various local opinion polls and is popular among young voters.
“Ko most likely will become the biggest variable in the 2024 presidential election,” said Wang Shih-chien, a Taipei city councillor from the DPP and constant critic of Ko’s during his eight-year term as mayor.
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US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy meets Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, despite Beijing’s warnings