Han Kuo-yu, who lost Taiwan presidential race in January, now facing a recall as mayor
- Han had been criticised for running as KMT candidate against the DPP incumbent, Tsai Ing-wen, just months after being elected mayor
- If he is ousted, the fallout would mean a stronger DPP hold on Taiwan politics and a possible revamping of KMT leadership
Voters in Taiwan’s southern port city of Kaohsiung lined up on Saturday morning to cast ballots on a recall motion of mayor Han Kuo-yu, a vote that will have ripple effects on the island’s future elections.
Han, a 62-year-old former legislator from New Taipei, drew harsh criticism from the public over his failed bid for president in January as the Kuomintang (KMT) candidate against the incumbent Tsai Ing-wen of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) – less than six months after he won a surprising victory as Kaohsiung mayor.
Analysts said the outcome of the recall, the first to target the head of a municipality in Taiwan, would decide whether the ruling independence-leaning DPP is able to further bolster its political control on the island.
Should the recall pass, the opposition KMT would also face new problems. Not only would it affect its chances in local government elections later this year and in the 2024 presidential campaign, but it would also trigger a new round of infighting within the mainland-friendly party, analysts said.
An estimated 2.3 million residents are eligible to cast ballots, and “at least a quarter – or 575,000 – voters must vote in favour of the recall motion before the vote is considered valid,” a spokesman for the city’s election commission said.
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Many Kaohsiung citizens were upset when Han announced his presidential bid in July – and took months off from the city government from October to January to campaign.