Taiwan’s governing party has taken the drastic step of replacing its candidate for January’s presidential election, reflecting growing unease about its candidate’s plans for closer relations with the mainland.
At an emergency meeting on Saturday, delegates from the Kuomintang or Nationalist party voted to replace Hung Hsiu-chu, the straight-talking legislator who polls showed was trailing Democratic Progressive party candidate Tsai Ing-wen.
The all-female election would have been a first for Taiwan and guaranteed the election of its first female president. But analysts say Ms Hung’s views on cross-strait relations, including advocating a peace treaty with China, made voters uneasy.