TAIPEI -- Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je, a surgeon-turned independent politician, is riding a wave of popularity as Taiwanese voters grow disillusioned with mainstream political parties.
With just a month or so left until islandwide local elections, which are widely seen as a warm-up for the 2020 presidential poll, Ko is gaining support from a growing number of independent voters even as the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, which traditionally favors independence from China, and the more China-friendly Kuomintang, or the Nationalist Party, struggle.
