TAIPEI, Taiwan — Former Foxconn CEO Terry Gou has given up on making a bid for Taiwan’s presidency.
Gou announced his decision in a statement late Monday, one day before a deadline to register for the race.
In a video message Tuesday, he cited a bad election atmosphere, blaming personal and factional interests for dividing society.
He said he couldn’t bear to see his supporters being bullied.
Gou’s possible candidacy threatened to divide the opposition Nationalist Party. He lost the party primary in July but retained support among many party members. He resigned from the party last week in what was seen as a precursor to an independent run.
He stepped down earlier this summer as head of Foxconn, a major contract manufacturer of electronics including the iPhone.
The Associated Press
