TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate Lai Ching-te is contending in an intensifying election battle with mounting pressure from an opposition alliance. This alliance, formed by the Kuomintang (KMT) and Taiwan People's Party (TPP), is reflected in a recent poll released by Formosa Magazine on Thursday (Nov. 16).
In the three-way race, Lai leads with 33.6% support, closely followed by the KMT's Hou Yu-ih with 28.5%, and the TPP's Ko Wen-je at 20.5%, according to the latest presidential election polling data. However, the coalition between the KMT and TPP, known as the Blue-White alliance, has put Lai in a challenging position. The combined support for the KMT's Hou and TPP's Ko has risen to 49%.
Political commentator Wu Tzu-chia highlighted the diminishing gap between Lai and Hou, which stands at only 5.1 percentage points. Including Ko's 20.5% support, the Hou-Ko duo is leading Lai by a significant margin of 16 percentage points.
The poll indicates that Lai's election battle has become more challenging following the formation of the Blue-White Coalition. The Blue-White agreement, finalized on Wednesday by Ko, Hou, former president Ma Ying-jeou, and KMT Chairman Eric Chu, has significantly impacted Taiwan's political landscape.