A populist mayor who favours closer ties with Beijing was announced as the presidential candidate for Taiwan’s opposition on Monday as it looks to unseat President Tsai Ing-wen in upcoming elections.Han Kuo-yu won the primary for the opposition Kuomintang party, comfortably seeing off a challenge from Taiwan’s richest man, billionaire Foxconn founder Terry Gou. His victory sets up an unpredictable clash as Taiwan goes to the polls in January in a contest that will be dominated by relations with China.
Han, 62, has enjoyed a stunning rise in the last two years, journeying from relative obscurity to his party’s presidential candidate in a phenomenon that has been dubbed the “Han tide”. Some have likened him to US President Donald Trump and other populist leaders who hail from outside establishment circles and command a fervent voter base buoyed by lofty promises of resurrecting their fortunes.
Han, 62, has enjoyed a stunning rise in the last two years, journeying from relative obscurity to his party’s presidential candidate in a phenomenon that has been dubbed the “Han tide”. Some have likened him to US President Donald Trump and other populist leaders who hail from outside establishment circles and command a fervent voter base buoyed by lofty promises of resurrecting their fortunes.
