Ko Wen-je, founder and former chair of the Taiwan People's Party, or TPP, was sentenced to 17 years in prison and deprived of his civil rights for six years for bribery charges related to his time as Taipei mayor from 2018 to 2022, Focus Taiwan reported on March 26. If he is unable to successfully appeal the charges, he will be barred from running for office.

The TPP emerged as a key swing bloc in Taiwan's legislature following the January 2024 presidential and legislative elections, which awarded Lai the presidency but gave the TPP and the conservative KMT a combined majority in the legislature.