Terry Gou, the millionaire creator of Foxconn, declared on Monday that he will run as an independent for president of Taiwan.
Gou ran for the nomination of the main opposition Kuomintang party this year because he has long had aspirations to manage the self-governing island.
Hou Yu-ih, a former police chief and current mayor of New Taipei City, was chosen by the KMT in contrast. However, Hou’s poll numbers have been dismal lately.
“I have decided to join the 2024 presidential race,” Gou said at a press conference.
290,000 signatures are required for him to be recognized as an independent candidate. In recent months, he has hosted events similar to campaigns all throughout Taiwan.
One of the biggest electronics contract manufacturers in the world, Foxconn is a significant supplier of Apple’s iPhones.
In January of next year, Taiwan will hold presidential elections.
The current front-runner is President Tsai Ing-wen’s Democratic Progressive Party vice president Lai Ching-te.
