Taipei Times
Date: May 29, 2015
By: Lii Wen  /  Staff reporter

New Power Party (NPP) legislative candidate Hu Po-yen (胡博硯) yesterday announced his withdrawal from the party, following controversy over the party’s relationship with the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).

Hu stirred controversy when he said in an interview on Tuesday that the party might withdraw its support for DPP Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) presidential bid if the DPP fails to display sincerity in collaborating with minor parties.

The NPP quickly distanced itself from Hu’s remarks in a statement on Wednesday, saying that his comments were “not representative of the NPP’s stance.”

“Although we are unclear about the context and intent of Hu Po-yen’s remarks and whether there has been any misunderstanding, what the media have reported cannot be further from the party’s longstanding stance,” the NPP said in a statement.

“We have never seen the issue of negotiating constituencies as a question of ‘yielding’ or not, nor have we ever used our support for any particular presidential candidate as a bargaining chip for legislative constituencies,” the NPP said.

Hu announced his decision to leave the NPP in a Facebook post yesterday morning.     [FULL  STORY]