Saturday’s recall vote against the mayorship of Kuomintang (KMT)’s Han Kuo-yu in the southern city of Kaohsiung is a test to China’s influence in Taiwan, as his opponents are using the opportunity to oust pro-China figures from local politics, an expert told Apple Daily.

Han rose to prominence in 2018 when he won the mayoral election in Taiwan’s third-largest city, becoming the first KMT politician to do so in 20 years. His nationalistic rhetoric coupled with a seemingly down-to-earth demeanor made him particularly popular with the working class. Just months into his mayorship, however, Han won the KMT ticket for the presidential election but ultimately lost to Tsai Ing-wen of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).

While Han’s apparent neglect of his mayoral duties during his failed presidential bid is being cited as the main reason for the recall vote, current affairs commentator and philosophy professor Chou Wei-hang said that many of Han’s opponents see him as an agent for China’s Communist Party (CCP) and view the recall as an extension of an age-old question over its future relationships with China that lies at the heart of all of Taiwan’s major elections.

Han’s critics say he made his pro-unification stance clear last year when he embarked on a seven-day trip to Hong Kong during which he met with the city’s Chief Executive Carrie Lam, the then Liaison Office Director Wang Zhimin and Taiwan Affairs Office Director Liu Jieyi.

Indeed, according to Chou, many of those who still back Han do so not because of his policies but because of his loyalty to the Communist Party.

In the wake of the recall vote, Chou believes the CCP will be looking for someone new to represent its agenda. Other KMT politicians such as Mayor of New Taipei, Hou You-yi, and Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen, look to be distancing themselves from Beijing, opting to focus instead on economic growth as a way to beat the DDP.
Kaohsiung has 2.29 million eligible voters. If at least 25% of them voted to pass the recall motion, Han could be removed from office this month.

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