* The KMT enters into the final phase of its presidential primary next week when public opinion polls will be carried out during 7/8-8/14. The winner will be confirmed and announced on July 15.
* Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu and the ex-chairman of the Foxconn Group, Terry Gou, remain the frontrunners, though the margin has been narrowing in recent days. It is now essential a toss-up, and either Han or Gou could wind up winning the nomination.
* The real challenge for the KMT, however, will begin after the nomination. The party has always had problems uniting the different factions and personalities after a fiercely contested race. Ever since the James Soong-Lien Chan rivalry in 2000, the KMT has been its worst enemy, and intra-party unity has been an elusive goal that causes its demise in races, big or small. One would think the party has learned from its past mistakes, but there's no indication that anything is different this time around.
* Forging party unity is a priority, and it will be the difference in the January 11, 2020, showdown with the ruling DPP's Tsai Ing-wen. The polls won't open for another six months, and that's more than a lifetime in Taiwan's fast-food political culture. No matter who wins the KMT nomination, the campaign will be heated and emotion-laden, with the results impacting the island's future beyond 2024.
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