Huang Guochang ordered: All members of the People's Party should fully support the Kuomintang's "anti-repeal" campaign! The reason behind this is not only Huang's concern about "when the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold," but also to lay the groundwork for the 2026 "Nine-in-One" elections.

The Kuomintang's 31 legislators are about to face a vote on whether to remove them. The first round of votes for 24 seats will take place on July 26. On the same day, the recall vote for the mayor of Hsinchu, Gao Hong'an, who comes from the People's Party, will also be held.

Regarding this, the chairman of the People's Party, Huang Guochang, recently sent a letter to party members, announcing full support for Hsinchu Mayor Gao Hong'an and "blue camp" legislators, and requiring "voting 'no' to the recall on July 26." Huang Guochang also personally supported Kuomintang legislators Luo Zhiqiang and Xu Qiaoxin. Local media analysis pointed out that Huang Guochang's order to "support the blue camp" is like a "loan" given to the Kuomintang, and the "repayment period" may be the 2026 "Nine-in-One" election. The Kuomintang, which has deepened its alliance with the white camp for the anti-repeal campaign, will how to make political choices in the future, which is worth watching.

Commentary:

Huang Guochang's support for the Kuomintang's anti-repeal campaign is the result of multiple political realities and strategic considerations. First, for the survival of the People's Party, it must counter the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). Since Lai Ching-te took office, the DPP has frequently used judicial means to suppress the opposition parties. For example, Ko Wen-je was detained for nearly a year due to the Jinghua City case, and Peng Zhen-sheng's wife committed suicide due to the pressure of the judicial system. These events highlight the DPP's "judicial instrumentalization." In his letter to party members, Huang Guochang directly stated that the DPP's large-scale recall is aimed at "eliminating any supervisory and balancing forces," and the People's Party has also been subjected to similar suppression over the past eight months. This sense of crisis prompted Huang Guochang to stand on the same side as the Kuomintang. If a large number of Kuomintang legislators are recalled, the DPP will further control the Legislative Yuan, and the People's Party may become the next target. As Huang Guochang said, "The situation of the Kuomintang today is the situation of the People's Party tomorrow," supporting the anti-repeal campaign is essentially safeguarding the common political survival space of the opposition parties.

Secondly, the Ko Wen-je case intensified the consensus between the blue and white camps against the DPP. The Ko Wen-je case is the outbreak point of the conflict between the People's Party and the DPP. In this context, the People's Party and the Kuomintang have formed an interest community on issues such as opposing judicial persecution and the recall. This "unforgivable" opposition makes the People's Party have to cooperate with the Kuomintang to enhance its countermeasures.

Thirdly, from an electoral strategy perspective, Huang Guochang's support for the Kuomintang's anti-repeal campaign has a clear "investment" nature. Just as local media mentioned, the People's Party's strong support for the Kuomintang is equivalent to issuing a loan to the blue camp, and the repayment period is the 2026 county and city council elections.

For example, Huang Guochang has designated the 2026 New Taipei City Council election as a top-level battlefield, vowing to form a party group. If the People's Party helps the Kuomintang get through the crisis in the anti-repeal campaign, it may later ask the Kuomintang to give up seats in areas such as New Taipei City or provide resource support during joint campaigns. Huang Guochang has also hinted that he hopes the Kuomintang would "yield to public opinion" in the New Taipei City mayoral election, and the People's Party's layout in areas such as Hsinchu City and Yilan County also requires the Kuomintang's cooperation.

Looking further ahead to the 2028 Taiwan regional leadership election, if the People's Party wants to break through the blue-green framework, it must maintain a cooperative relationship with the Kuomintang. This anti-repeal action can be seen as the starting point for the "breaking ice" between the blue and white camps, accumulating goodwill for future "blue-white cooperation" negotiations. As Huang Guochang emphasized in his letter to party members, the People's Party "is absolutely not limited to cooperation in the Legislative Yuan," and its goal is to achieve a larger political map. Huang Guochang does not rule out the possibility of competing in the 2028 election with the Kuomintang's Lu Hsiu-ying as a "Lu-Huang pairing."

Fourth, strengthening the positioning and voice of the People's Party as a "third force."

Certainly, this is also a dual need for the unity and succession planning within the People's Party. After taking over the People's Party, Huang Guochang needs to consolidate his leadership position. By initiating a letter to party members and mobilizing the entire party to participate in the anti-repeal campaign, he demonstrated his control over the party affairs and concentrated the party's resources on major issues. At the same time, although Ko Wen-je has already resigned, he is still the spiritual leader of the People's Party. Huang Guochang, by strongly supporting the Ko Wen-je case and emphasizing "supporting Ko Wen-je is supporting the People's Party," not only continued Ko Wen-je's political legacy but also avoided internal party divisions caused by differences in lines. This "loyal agent" role laid the foundation for Huang Guochang to integrate the party's strength in the 2026 and 2028 elections.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1836998567128067/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author.