TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – As Taiwan’s presidential race heats up, the New Power Party (NPP) aims to call on party legislator Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) to run for president, according to a SETN.com report on Wednesday (Sept. 18).

NPP Secretary General Wu Pei-yun (吳佩芸) said the party is drafting a set of rules in order to nominate a presidential candidate. Huang, a party member and legislator, is the party's first choice, the report said.

News of the NPP taking part in the presidential race broke two days after former Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) announced her presidential bid on Monday.

Wu said that a political party nominating its own presidential candidate demonstrates the party’s identity. Furthermore, the NPP said it welcomed talks with the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) about legislative elections and on policy, but there would be no discussion of the 2020 presidential election, so as to avoid misunderstandings.

If the NPP nomination goes as planned, Taiwan’s 2020 presidential election will become a four-way competition between President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), representing the DPP; Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), representing the Kuomintang (KMT); Huang, representing the NPP; and the independent Lu (呂秀蓮).