TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Having lost the presidential election by a margin of almost 20 percent, Kaohsiung City Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) could now also lose an eventual recall vote, senior reporter Huang Wei-han (黃暐瀚) said Tuesday (Jan. 14).

The Kuomintang politician saw his level of support collapse in Saturday’s (Jan. 11) presidential election compared to the mayoral election in Nov. 2018 which brought him to power in Kaohsiung, a traditional Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) stronghold.

The erosion in support could well lead to a new defeat for the mayor when a recall vote is held, possibly next May, said Huang, a public supporter of Han.

A campaign working under the name WeCare handed 300,000 signatures to the Central Election Commission (CEC) for review and organized a massive march in Kaohsiung attracting an estimated half million participants last month.

The CEC still has to announce whether it accepts the endorsements, but if it does, the recall vote to determine Han’s fate is likely to be held in May.

Huang said the mayor, who has often been accused of abandoning his job to run for president, should focus on Kaohsiung and not try to run in the election for KMT chairman planned for March 7, the Liberty Times reported.

The commentator said the high turnout in the presidential election in Kaohsiung, reaching 80 percent in some districts, showed how much many young people disliked Han and indicated he might lose the recall vote.

Running for KMT chairman would only give the impression the mayor was again looking for another job, Huang said, calling on Han to stay in Kaohsiung and to accept the result of the recall, whatever it was.

Cable station TVBS also reported Tuesday how Kaohsiung had turned completely against Han in the presidential election, providing the KMT politician with an ominous signal for the recall vote.