TPP chair congratulates KMT's Cheng, floats idea of alliance

Taipei, Oct. 19 (CNA) Taiwan People's Party (TPP) Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) on Sunday congratulated former Legislator Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) on her election as Kuomintang (KMT) chairperson, saying he had already begun discussing opportunities for deeper cooperation between the opposition parties.

Speaking to reporters at an event in New Taipei, Huang said he had called Cheng and the other KMT contenders after the election results were announced on Saturday, and had wished her luck in her new role.

"As far as the TPP is concerned, [Taiwanese] society has been torn apart by President Lai Ching-te (賴清德)," Huang said. "We need to end the division and conflict."

"The TPP is willing to work with maximum sincerity and goodwill to create a unity government, even if we don't always agree with or even like our partners," he said.

To that end, Huang said, he spoke late Saturday with former TPP Chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) regarding the steps and timeframe for achieving a unity government.

Any such union would be based on shared values rather than just divvying up spots in government, Huang added.

The idea of an alliance between the two opposition parties dates back to Taiwan's 2024 presidential elections, when the TPP and KMT presidential candidates -- Ko and Hou Yu-ih (侯友宜) -- came under pressure to run on a joint ticket.

Negotiations on the joint ticket ultimately fell apart at a televised press conference less than two months before the election, as neither candidate was willing to take the vice presidential slot.

The results of the Jan. 13, 2024 election, however, suggested that a joint ticket may have been successful, as Lai of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) won with 40.05 percent of the vote, followed by Hou with 33.49 percent, and Ko with 26.46 percent.

Despite that failure, the KMT and TPP have sometimes joined forces in the Legislature, where they now hold a combined majority of the 113 seats.

Many of the candidates in the KMT leadership election, including Cheng, have said they support deepening ties between the opposition parties.

In response to reporters' questions on the possibility of such cooperation in the 2026 local government elections, Huang said Saturday that Cheng's previous criticism of Ko and her insistence that the KMT must continue to hold the mayoral seat in New Taipei would not present any obstacles to the TPP and KMT joining forces.

"For a mature politician, there's nothing that you can't let go of for the sake of Taiwan and its people," said Huang, who has indicated that he plans to run for New Taipei mayor next year.

"We turned the page on that [criticism of Ko] long ago," he said, noting that he had also criticized KMT Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) in the past.

In his remarks, Huang twice referenced the recent coalition talks held by the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in Japan, saying it was a "mature expression of democracy."

Huang said he had recently sent several documents to Ko relating to the process adopted by political parties in Japan to sign cooperation agreements and set up a multi-party Cabinet.

During the call with Ko on Saturday, Huang said, they also discussed that approach.