Taiwan election 2024: KMT presidential hopeful Hou Yu-ih’s bid as future leader weighed down by party’s past

Hou has battled an image problem – for himself as well as his party, as it struggles to stay relevant in rapidly changing Taiwan

Party power struggles and a controversial record as a police officer have raised doubts among voters, analysts say

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Since launching his campaign to lead Taiwan, KMT presidential candidate Hou Yu-ih has struggled with an image problem, party politics and a controversial record in law enforcement. Photo: Reuters

Published: 10:00am, 11 Jan 2024Updated: 10:40am, 11 Jan 2024

Portraying Hou Yu-ih as Taiwan’s next leader has been an uphill battle for the Beijing-friendly Kuomintang (KMT) both domestically and internationally in Saturday’s pivotal presidential election.

“I am Taiwanese. I am humble, diligent and honest,” Hou said in Taiwanese when he first presented himself as the candidate representing the biggest opposition party at their headquarters in Taipei.

“My vision is that Taiwan walks a middle path,” Hou has said repeatedly in his campaign, explaining his goal of finding common ground for Taiwanese of all ethnicities and political stripes, and bringing peace and stability to cross-strait relations while being “friends with the world”.

The KMT has not only pinned its hopes on Hou winning the island’s presidential election, but also keeping alive a nearly-three decade old democratic tradition of allowing no ruling party more than two four-year terms in government.

Hou’s pitch, however, has had uneven resonance with Taiwanese voters.

When public polling stopped in early January, multiple pools reported Hou and his running mate Jaw Shaw-kong trailing Vice-President William Lai Ching-te of the governing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) by one to five points, while Ko Wen-je, who heads the smaller Taiwan People’s Party was lagging behind both.

The middle way

Hou’s “middle way” vision for Taiwan, which was intended to describe his style of governance, has instead resulted in him being seen as lacking charisma, political analysts said.