Independent Legislator Freddy Lim (林昶佐) has applied to join the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) at the suggestion of its presidential candidate, Vice President William Lai (賴清德).
Lim said he is ready to campaign for the DPP for January’s elections.
In a Facebook post on Monday evening, he wrote that remaining nonpartisan helped him in his international work, but as those duties concluded last month, he was ready to take on another role.
Photo: CNA
“At this final stage, I will stand with my partners,” Lim said, adding that he would help, “as a member of the DPP,” with the party’s presidential campaign and its efforts to secure more than half of the legislative seats, the musician-turned-politician said.
“Go all out and work hard together,” he said.
The 47-year-old Lim, the lead vocalist of heavy metal band Chthonic and a human rights activist, helped establish the New Power Party in 2015 and was elected as a legislator in January 2016.
Following differences with other members regarding the NPP’s direction, Lim withdrew from the party on Aug. 1, 2019.
In January 2020, he was re-elected as an independent.
Last year, efforts by Lim’s opponents to recall him for what they described as “poor performance” failed. In March, he announced that he would not run in next year’s legislative race, due to a family illness.
The DPP currently holds 63 seats in the 113-seat legislature, while the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) has 37, plus one ally legislator.
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