KMT settles on leadership picks for Taiwan legislature after brief challenge

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Kuomintang (KMT) Chair Eric Chu (朱立倫) said “everyone supports” the nomination of Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) and Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) to lead Taiwan's legislature on Monday (Jan. 22), after a short-lived bid from the “King of Hualien” gave way less than 24 hours after it was announced.

Chu thanked Hualien Legislator Fu Kun-chi (傅崐萁) for expressing his “definite support” for the Han-Chiang pairing at a press conference, per CNA. Chu’s thanks came after Fu said he would seek nomination for the deputy speaker position in the legislature on Sunday evening, challenging Chiang, who said he would seek the position as Han’s deputy on Wednesday.

Candidates who seek to lead the law-making body need a majority of the legislature’s support to secure the role. Now that the KMT appears to have settled on a pair of candidates, the focus once again falls on the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), which holds the balance of power in the legislature after the Jan. 13 election.

No party gained a majority of seats in the legislature during the national election on Saturday. The KMT gained the most seats at 52, followed by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) with 51, and the TPP with eight.

The TPP has repeatedly said it will base its support for candidates on their commitment to reforming government institutions. It has not committed to supporting either the KMT’s or the DPP’s nominees.

On Jan. 15, members of the DPP said they were inclined to support the reelection of You Si-kun (游錫堃) to the legislature’s top spot, a role formally known as the “President of the Legislative Yuan.” DPP members also said they would be willing to cooperate with other parties to select a new leader of the legislature.

On Friday, You said that having smaller parties in control of legislative bodies is the norm in democracies. At the same time, he said that the DPP has not yet formally decided on its nominee for the head of the legislature.