Fu Kun-chi to serve as KMT's new legislative caucus convener

Taipei, Jan. 28 (CNA) Fu Kun-chi (傅崐萁), who was reelected to represent Hualien County in the Jan. 13 legislative election, will be the Kuomintang's (KMT) new caucus convener in the Legislature after Lai Shyh-bao (賴士葆) withdrew from the race for the position.

The KMT, which won 52 seats in the 113-seat Legislative Yuan in the election, was scheduled to elect a chief convener and secretary-general for its new legislative caucus on Tuesday.

Lai, a senior lawmaker who has represented Taipei's 8th electoral district in the Legislative Yuan since 2005, had registered to run for the top whip position of the KMT's caucus but said Sunday on social media that he would withdraw from the race against Fu, his only rival.

He said he learned that some members of the new KMT caucus felt tormented over the election and were hoping that a new convener could be chosen through coordination efforts so that "a painful vote will be saved."

Because a potential vote could take away from the caucus' need to focus on its function of monitoring the incoming Lai Ching-te (賴清德) administration of the Democratic Progressive Party, Lai Shyh-bao said nothing was more important than the internal unity of the party, which he called a "very vulnerable majority" in the new Legislature.

Lai's decision means that Fu will assume the position as the KMT's top caucus whip in the new Legislature, which will be inaugurated on Feb. 1.

In addition, Hung Mong-kai (洪孟楷) will serve as secretary-general of the KMT's new caucus and Lin Szu-ming (林思銘) will be his deputy, after Lin decided to not to run for the secretary-general position.