ADVERTISEMENT

Taiwan's President Defeats Leadership Rival, Clearing Bid for Second Term

Taiwan’s president saw off an unprecedented challenge to her leadership from within her own party, defeating her former premier. 

Taiwan's President Defeats Leadership Rival, Clearing Bid for Second Term
Tsai Ing-wen, Taiwan’s president, arrives at a news conference at the Presidential Palace in Taipei, Taiwan. (Photographer: Ashley Pon/Bloomberg) 

(Bloomberg) -- Taiwan’s president saw off an unprecedented challenge to her leadership from within her own party, defeating her former premier in the ruling Democratic Progressive Party’s primary ahead of next January’s election.

Tsai Ing-wen, 62, secured a majority support in the telephone poll this week, DPP spokeswoman Lee Yen-jong said Thursday. Her challenger, former Premier Lai Ching-te, is an outspoken proponent of formal independence for Taiwan. Tsai still requires approval from the party’s executive committee next week to officially become the DPP’s nominee.

Taiwan's President Defeats Leadership Rival, Clearing Bid for Second Term

Tsai’s victory grants the president something of a reprieve after waning public support for her culminated in her party’s devastating losses to the opposition Kuomintang in regional elections in November. Concerns she would be unable to win a second term in 2020’s presidential election spurred her premier to resign and challenge her for the DPP’s nomination.

But despite the rebound in her support, she still faces a test to avoid becoming Taiwan’s first one-term president. Five hopefuls are vying for the KMT nomination to run against her, including the populist mayor of Kaohsiung City Mayor Han Kuo-yu and Foxconn Technology Group’s billionaire founder Terry Gou. Taipei City Mayor Ko Wen-je is also considering a bid as an independent.

DPP Primary Poll Results


DPP CandidateHan Kuo-yuKo Wen-je
Tsai Ing-wen35.7%24.5%22.7%
Lai Ching-te27.5%23.5%27.4%

The DPP’s primary was different than most, relying on independent surveys of the general public -- instead of voting -- to determine which of the two contenders would fare better in the upcoming election. The party and four polling companies surveyed 15,000 adults, asking them whom would they prefer in a hypothetical three-way races including Han and Ko.

Tsai outperformed Lai in the survey, which appeared to be an effort to find out who could mount a stronger challenge against Han, seen as the opposition’s strongest candidate. The match-ups didn’t account for a scenario in which Gou gets the KMT nomination.

--With assistance from Debby Wu.

To contact the reporters on this story: Adela Lin in Taipei at alin95@bloomberg.net;Chinmei Sung in Taipei at csung4@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Samson Ellis at sellis29@bloomberg.net, Brendan Scott

©2019 Bloomberg L.P.