The Taiwan People's Party (TPP) has been shrouded in controversy since allegations that Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) misused presidential election subsidies came to light. This Wednesday reports stated Ko may step down from his position as party chairman. Ko did not respond to media questions regarding the matter on Wednesday, but stated he will be taking a three-month sabbatical leave on Thursday.
The TPP was formally established in 2019 by Ko, who serves as its first and current chairman. Ko ran in the 2024 Taiwanese presidential election, receiving around 3.69 million votes, behind KMT’s Hou Yu-ih (侯友宜) with 4.67 million votes and DPP's Lai Ching-te (賴清德) with 5.58 million votes.
Allegations of misused funds include purchasing an office unit worth NT$43 million (US$1.34 million), spending NT$960,000 (US$30,000) on one purchase of vegetarian meals, and funneling over NT$4 million (US$125,250)into his personal account for his own “image use rights.” Some allegations have been addressed, with the campaign’s accountant Tuanmu Cheng (端木正) and chief financial officer Lee Wen-tsung (李文宗) frequently being set up as the scapegoats.
DPP politician Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) says a lot of the election subsidy, intended to cover party operations, make donations to charity, and travel to local communities to listen to the grievances of citizens, instead became Ko’s personal wealth. Ko justified some of his purchases by stating that under TPP regulations, two-thirds of the funds are for candidates’ personal use, the remainder belonging to the party.
Mirror Media reported that Ko may step down from his position as TPP party chairman at their press conference this Thursday. At the press conference, Ko bowed to the public and announced he will be taking a three-month sabbatical from his position pending an internal party investigation.
