"3rd force" party's Taiwan presidential candidate Ko shakes up polls

As campaigning heats up for Taiwan's presidential election next January, former Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je, who heads a "third force" opposition party, has surged in popularity, with recent polls placing him in first and second place in the largely three-way race.In a poll released Tuesday, organized by the Taiwanese Public Opinion Foundation, the 63-year-old physician-turned-politician of the Taiwan People's Party was the second most favored candidate in the race, with 29.1 percent of respondents expressing their support for him.Ko trailed behind Vice President Lai Ching-te, 63, of the ruling …READ FULL ARTICLE