Kuomintang Chair Eric Chu said Monday that he is "looking forward to a smooth handover, indicating he could be stepping down ahead of the party chair election later this year. Amid this news, speculation is mounting over who could take over, with Taichung Mayor Lu Shiou-yen already looking like a popular contender.
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00:00Months before Eric Zhu's term as head of Taiwan's main opposition Kuomintang Party
00:04is set to expire in October, speculation is mounting about who could take up the party's
00:09top spot. On Monday, Zhu told the United Daily News that he's looking forward to a smooth
00:15handover, an indication that he might be stepping down. He has not endorsed anyone else, but has
00:21said there are currently four outstanding KMT mayors. And he said this about Taichung Mayor
00:26Lu Xiuyan. Lu's name is often floated as a potential candidate, but she has not yet
00:42indicated whether or not she will run. When asked, she said this. There are a few others
00:51who have already declared their candidacies, including former Zhanghua County Magistrate
00:55Zhu Booyuan, as well as the head of the KMT's Sun Yat-sen School. But one of those candidates
01:00has already said if Lu runs, he would support her instead.
01:15Other KMT mayors were also asked about the election. Taipei Mayor Jiang Wan-an avoided the
01:20question, while the mayor of Taoyuan said this.
01:29With the election still months away, there's still room for things to change. Neither candidates
01:33nor frontrunners are set in stone. But one thing seems clear, that Lu would have wide support for
01:39the position if she decides to run. Lian Lien and Keynes Quaranta for Taoyuan Plus.