By KHT Staff
KAOHSIUNG — As the 2026 Kaohsiung mayoral race gains momentum, Kuomintang (KMT) lawmaker and Kaohsiung party chair Ko Chih-en (柯志恩) said Friday that the party will establish a nine-member nomination committee after the Lunar New Year and roll out council candidate nominations in three phases based on electoral data.
Ko said the party will use past vote shares from the 2022 mayoral election and recent national contests to determine how many candidates to nominate in each district. The China Times reports Ko addressed speculation about cross-party coordination by acknowledging that up to three districts could be evaluated for cooperation with “friendly parties,” including the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) or independents, to maximize the overall vote.
Earlier in the day, Ko joined KMT councilors on a market walk-through in Fongshan (鳳山) and Cianjhen (前鎮), areas associated with her Democratic Progressive Party rival Lai Jui-lung (賴瑞隆). Ko said the campaign would proceed steadily, citing the DPP’s organizational advantages while stressing that the KMT would rely on disciplined planning rather than headline-driven tactics.
