Foxconn’s Gou quits KMT ahead of likely Taiwan presidential run
Terry Gou, the billionaire founder of iPhone assembler Foxconn Technology Group, has quit Taiwan’s China-friendly opposition party, in a move seen as paving the way for an independent run for the island’s presidency.
While Gou met with senior members of the Kuomintang, his aides visited Taiwan’s Central Election Commission to clarify election registration procedures. He has until Sept 17 to apply to take part in the election.
A Gou campaign would make January 2020’s vote Taiwan’s most hotly contested presidential election in decades. It would pit him against incumbent President Tsai Ing-wen and KMT challenger Han Kuoyu, mayor of Kaohsiung City. It would also make the KMT’s uphill battle to unseat Tsai even harder, as Gou is expected to sap more support from Han than Tsai would. Gou lost the KMT’s primary to Han in July.
A three-way battle for Taiwan’s presidency is likely to be a hard-fought affair. Tsai currently enjoys a narrow advantage, with a 33.7% support rating compared with 28.9% for Han and 25.6% for Gou, according to a poll released on Sept 10 by Apple
newspaper.