All hopes of a joint opposition ticket in Taiwan's 2024 presidential election fell apart after disagreements between opposition candidates played out in full view of the media and public on Thursday night. Both of the main opposition candidates, KMT’s Hou Yu-ih (侯友宜) and TPP’s Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) officially registered their vice presidential running mates on Friday, closing off any possibility of a joint ticket between the two of them. Election laws require that presidential and vice presidential candidates officially register for the election by 5:30 pm on Friday, November 24.
The registrations cap off an eight-day drama between the two presidential hopefuls. Last Wednesday, the two announced that they had agreed to run together on a joint ticket. A decision on which candidate would run as president and which as vice president was to be decided by the following Saturday. As Saturday approached, however, it was clear the two had a fundamental disagreement about the criteria for choosing who would get the top spot. The “will they, won’t they” drama continued throughout the week, culminating in a meeting between the two candidates, as well as independent candidate Terry Gou (郭台銘), in a conference room filled with reporters at the Grand Hyatt Taipei Thursday evening. What followed was a public spectacle rarely seen in Taiwanese politics, in which the candidates disagreed about whether their conversations should be public or private, while trading subtle jabs at each other in front of reporters. The tense meeting ended without any conclusion on cooperation.
The registration of vice presidential candidates ends any chance for cooperation between Ko and Hou. Terry Gou for his part, officially withdrew from the race on Friday afternoon.