Hon Hai Precision Industry founder Terry Gou has submitted a batch of petition signatures he has collected to qualify as an independent candidate in Taiwan's presidential election in January next year.

Gou presented the signatures to the Taipei City Election Commission on Wednesday, a day ahead of the deadline.

Gou claims he has collected well above the about 290,000 signatures from eligible voters required to secure his candidacy.

The Central Election Commission will determine by November 14 whether he qualifies as a candidate.

Gou is the founder of Hon Hai, also known as Foxconn, one of the world's largest contract manufacturers of electronic devices.

The largest opposition Kuomintang party has picked the mayor of New Taipei City, Hou Yu-ih, as its candidate.

The Taiwan People's Party, the third-largest force in the legislature, has decided to field former Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je.

The KMT is calling on the TPP to back a unified candidate. But the negotiation is facing difficulties due to their differences over how to decide between the two.

The ruling Democratic Progressive Party has named Taiwan Vice President Lai Ching-te to run in the presidential race.

Some analysts say a larger number of candidates could offer an advantage for Lai.