New Taipei City Mayor Hou Yu-ih has declined to commit on whether he will take up the post of chairman of Lee Szu-chuan's campaign headquarters, leaving the timing of any announcement to Lee's team — an indication that the Kuomintang's arrangements in New Taipei are still being worked out.

• Speaking to reporters before entering the city council today, Hou gave no direct answer when asked whether he would serve as chairman of Lee Szu-chuan's campaign headquarters.
• He said that plans for the campaign team should be announced publicly by Lee Szu-chuan's team in line with its own campaign timetable.
• He stressed that the most important thing for a candidate is to put forward sound policy proposals and a vision for the future, and to show residents how these will be carried out.
• Whether the incumbent mayor takes the stage and leads the effort is seen as a key indicator of how smoothly the Kuomintang can hand over the baton in the New Taipei mayoral race.

Outlook: The choice of chairman is expected to be announced by Lee Szu-chuan's team itself at a later campaign event.