Kuomintang aims for midterm comeback

NEW TAIPEI CITY: Taiwan’s main opposition Kuomintang (KMT) held a convention rally in New Taipei City yesterday to ramp up support for its candidates ahead of the year-end nationwide local elections.

Saying the Nov 24 elections will be “make or break” for the KMT, party chairman Wu Den-yih has set the target of winning half of the total 22 counties, cities and special municipality districts.

The KMT now controls only six. To win half of the seats, the party must retain power in those six zones and secure at least five more, particularly in central Taiwan, which both the KMT and the ruling Democratic Progressive Party view as a decisive battlefield.

In the November polls, Taiwanese voters will elect mayors of six special municipalities: Taipei, New Taipei, Taoyuan, Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung. More than 300 councillors and more than 4,000 borough wardens will also be elected in the so-called “big six”.

In addition, mayors, commissioners and councillors will be elected in 16 smaller cities and counties. In all, more than 11,000 local officials will be elected by more than 19.2 million voters.

Quoting the theme of yesterday’s rally, “reform, unity and return (the party) to power,” Mr Wu said that to bounce back from the crushing defeats the party suffered in the last nationwide local elections in 2014, the very first step is to focus on the economy.

While praising former President Ma Ying-jeou for building a strong economy, Mr Wu criticised his successor President Tsai Ing-wen of the DPP for her “authoritarian rule”, saying Taiwan’s economy and competitiveness have remained stagnant under her watch.

Mr Wu also hailed cross-strait rapprochement under Mr Ma’s eight-year presidency, vowing to improve relations with China which Mr Wu said continue to deteriorate since Tsai took over in May 2016.

“Only a peaceful and stable cross-strait relationship can ensure Taiwan’s safety and prosperity,” Mr Wu said, vowing to adhere to the “1992 consensus” on the “one China” principle.

The “1992 consensus” is a verbal crossstrait agreement reached in that year by the KMT and the Chinese Communist Party. It acknowledges Taiwan and China are part of a single China but allows both to interpret who is the ruler.

Mr Wu promised that if the KMT returns to power, it will dedicate itself to building a clean and efficient government, and a prosperous society.