Taiwan election: KMT’s Hou Yu-ih climbs in polls after collapse of joint ticket, but DPP’s William Lai still leads

Support for Beijing-friendly Kuomintang ticks up despite breakdown in efforts to team up with Taiwan People’s Party in presidential race

Democratic Progressive Party candidate William Lai Ching-te remains the front runner, while TPP’s Ko Wen-je slumps in latest surveys

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The pairing of KMT presidential candidate Hou Yu-ih (centre left) and running mate Jaw Shaw-kong might have consolidated the party’s support base, according to a Beijing-based Taiwan affairs expert. Photo: AFP

Published: 8:44pm, 28 Nov 2023Updated: 8:53pm, 28 Nov 2023

The Kuomintang, Taiwan’s mainland-friendly opposition party, saw an uptick in support despite a breakdown in efforts to form a joint ticket to challenge the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, according to the latest polls.

Taiwanese Vice-President William Lai Ching-te, the DPP presidential candidate, is still favoured to win as the January election nears, according to a handful of polls conducted after last week’s dramatic failure by the KMT and the Taiwan People’s Party to form a unity ticket.

Lai received the support of 34 per cent of respondents in a poll conducted from November 24–26 by the mainland-friendly broadcaster TVBS.

KMT presidential candidate Hou Yu-ih and running mate Jaw Shaw-kong came in second place with the support of 31 per cent of respondents, while 23 per cent of respondents favoured the TPP’s Ko Wen-je, another Beijing-friendly candidate.

Other polls conducted right after talks for the KMT and TPP to run on the same ticket collapsed showed similar results, with Hou performing better than expected and the gap between Lai and Hou narrowing.

A Gallup survey released on Tuesday put the gap between Lai and Hou at a fraction of a percentage point, with Lai slightly ahead at 31.01 per cent while Hou received the support of 30.94 per cent of respondents. Another poll by the KMT-leaning United Daily News released on Tuesday saw Hou lagging 3 percentage points behind Lai.