Foxconn founder Terry Gou qualifies to run for Taiwan president
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The election commission said Mr Terry Gou collected more than 900,000 valid signatures to qualify as an independent candidate.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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TAIPEI – Mr Terry Gou, the billionaire founder of major Apple supplier Foxconn, has collected three times the number of signatures needed to qualify to run in Taiwan’s presidential election, the government said on Tuesday.
In a statement, Mr Gou thanked his backers for their “enthusiastic support” and vowed to work hard to achieve “peace across the Taiwan Strait”.
Mr Gou announced his bid in August,
He blamed the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) for taking Taiwan to the brink of war by antagonising China, which claims the island as its own territory.
Mr Gou, who stepped down as Foxconn chief in 2019, had to gather about 300,000 voter signatures by Nov 2 to qualify as an independent candidate, according to election regulations.
The Election Commission said he had more than 900,000 valid signatures.
Mr Gou, 73, is one of four candidates in the election.
Opinion polls show he is the least favoured candidate, well behind front runner William Lai Ching-te of the DPP,
