Su_Tseng-chang

Su Tseng-chang

Su Tseng-chang

Prime Minister of Taiwan, 2006–2007 and 2019–2023

In this Taiwanese name, the surname is Su.

Su Tseng-chang (Chinese: 蘇貞昌; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: So͘ Cheng-chhiong; born 28 July 1948) is a Taiwanese politician who served as premier of the Republic of China (Taiwan) from 2006 to 2007 and again from 2019 to 2023. He was the chairman of the Democratic Progressive Party in 2005 and from 2012 to 2014.[1] Su served as Chief of Staff to President Chen Shui-bian in 2004.[2] He is currently the longest-serving Democratic Progressive premier in history.

Quick Facts 20th and 30th Premier of the Republic of China, President ...
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Su actively campaigned for the DPP presidential nomination in 2008, but finished second to Frank Hsieh. Su eventually teamed with Hsieh as the vice presidential nominee; the DPP lost to the Kuomintang ticket of Ma Ying-jeou and Vincent Siew. Su ran for Taipei City Mayor in November 2010, but lost to the incumbent Hau Lung-pin by a 12-point margin. Su campaigned for the 2012 presidential candidacy of the DPP in 2011, but lost to Tsai Ing-wen by a very narrow margin.[3] Following the loss of Tsai to Ma Ying-jeou, Su was elected to succeed Tsai as DPP chairman in 2012.[4]

During the Chen administration, Su, along with politicians Annette Lu, Frank Hsieh and Yu Shyi-kun, are collectively known as the "Big Four of the Democratic Progressive Party".[5] Su is nicknamed the "Lightbulb" or "E Ball" (電火球) and "Go Go Go" (衝衝衝) by the Taiwanese media and DPP voters, a nickname he earned in the 1980s for his charismatic approach to campaigning during election season, in addition to being an affectionate reference to the balding Su.[6][7]

Early life and career

Su was born at Ministry of Health and Welfare Pingtung Hospital in Pingtung, Taiwan on 28 July 1948. He studied at the National Taiwan University. He was a practicing lawyer from 1973 to 1983 and became a defense lawyer in the Kaohsiung Incident trials.[8][9] In September 1986, Su and seventeen others founded the Democratic Progressive Party.[10][11]

He was previously the magistrate of Pingtung County (1989–1993) and magistrate of Taipei County (1997–2004).[10] His first election as the Taipei magistrate was aided by a split between the New Party, the Kuomintang, and independent candidate Lin Chih-chia. He won the election in dramatic fashion partly due to the appearance of the terminally ill Lu Hsiu-yi, who kneeled on stage in support of Su on the eve of the election.[12] Su's subsequent reelection occurred by a wide margin despite the ability of the Pan-Blue Coalition to present a united candidate, Wang Chien-shien.[13][14] He was Secretary-General (Chief of Staff) to the Office of the President of the Republic of China under President Chen Shui-bian (2004–2005). After President Chen resigned as DPP chairman following the 2004 legislative elections, he was elected the 10th-term DPP chairman.[10] Following DPP losses in the 2005 municipal elections on December 3, Su announced that he would, pursuant to a pre-election promise, resign from the chairmanship.[15]

First premiership: 2006–2007

Su was announced as the new premier on January 19, 2006, and took his oath of office, along with his cabinet, on January 25, 2006. Soon after, Su promised to step down if the people's welfare (referring to crime and other civil problems) did not improve within six months.[16] Su faced calls for his resignation after the Rebar Chinese Bank run, but refused to leave his post at the time.[17][18]

Su was a contender for the DPP nomination in the 2008 presidential election.[19][20] He formally announced his candidacy on Feb. 25. In the DPP primary vote on May 6, 2007, Su received 46,994 votes, coming in second to former Premier Frank Hsieh. Conceding defeat in the primary, Su announced that he had withdrawn from the race.[21]

On May 12, 2007, Su submitted his letter of resignation to President Chen Shui-bian, ending his tenure on May 21.[22] With the resignation of Su and with ten months left in Chen's presidency, that would mean Chen's eight years as president will have seen at least six Premiers (with Chang Chun-Hsiung serving two separate tenures).[23] Su also stated that he previously submitted resignations numerous times over his sixteen-month tenure, but all were rejected by President Chen.[24]

First cabinet

Main article: First Su cabinet
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2008 presidential campaign

Su ran for vice president alongside Frank Hsieh, who was the DPP nominee. Together, Su and Hsieh ran against Ma and Siew. On March 22, they lost in a landslide to Ma and Siew's 7,659,014 (58.45%) votes with their 5,444,949 (41.55%) votes.

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2010 Taipei mayoral race

Although Su had been considered a strong candidate to helm the newly created New Taipei City, because he had previously served the area as Taipei County Magistrate, he instead ran for the mayoralty of Taipei City.[26][27] Su vowed that should he win, he would serve out the entire term (through 2014) effectively ending any talks of a presidential run in 2012.[28] Su eventually lost the race to the incumbent mayor Hau Lung-pin.

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2012 campaigns

Su declared his candidacy for the 2012 presidential candidacy, but lost a DPP party primary held in April 2011 to Tsai Ing-wen and Hsu Hsin-liang, by a margin of 1.35 percent.[30] He was subsequently elected DPP chairman in May 2012,[11] and was succeeded by Tsai in 2014, after dropping out of the chairmanship election in the wake of the Sunflower Student Movement.[31][32]

2018 New Taipei mayoral race

2018 New Taipei mayoralty election result
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Total voters: 3,264,128; Valid votes: 2,038,822; Voter turnout: 62.46%.

Second premiership: 2019–2023

Su was appointed to the premiership on January 14, 2019, by President Tsai Ing-wen.[35] He succeeded William Lai, who had resigned in response to the Democratic Progressive Party's poor performance in the 2018 Taiwanese local elections. Aged 71, when he returned to the premiership, Su became one of the oldest to hold the office. Soon after Su assumed office, approval ratings for Tsai's presidential administration rose.[36] Su and his second cabinet resigned en masse following the 2020 Taiwanese legislative election, as stipulated in the constitution, but Tsai, who won reelection to the presidency, asked him to remain in his post.[37]

Su visited the crash site of the Hualien train derailment.[38]

On January 19, 2023, Su announced his resignation as Premier as part of a reshuffle following the DPP's heavy defeat in the 2022 Taiwanese local elections.[39] On January 30, Su and his cabinet resigned en masse again. He was replaced by former Vice-President Chen Chien-jen the following day, on January 31.[40][41]

Second cabinet

Main article: Second Su cabinet
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Personal life

Su is married to Chan Hsiu-ling (詹秀齡) with whom he has three daughters, one of which is Su Chiao-hui.[43] Su goes by the name “Hope” in his LINE profile. [44]

See also

References

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    "《東森新聞》專訪 老縣長蘇貞昌暢談戀愛史、電火球由來" (in Chinese). Taiwan. 東森新聞. 21 June 2018. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
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    "Ĭ } U x A @Ĭ G ] ܤơ@ t X ' λݭn". Archived from the original on 2007-05-14.
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    "第 12任總統(副總統)選舉 候選人得票數". 中央選舉委員會 (in Chinese). Taiwan. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
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    Chao, Vincent Y. (11 May 2010). "Su Tseng-chang rebuffs call to run in Sinbei City". Taipei Times. Retrieved 9 April 2016.
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    "Taiwan Ex-Premier Su Tseng-chang to run for Taipei City Mayor: Reports". Taiwan News. 2 March 2010. Retrieved 9 April 2016.
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    "99年直轄市長選舉 候選人得票數". 中央選舉委員會 (in Chinese). Taiwan. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
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    Wang, Chris (26 May 2014). "Tsai Ing-wen elected as DPP chair". Taipei Times. Retrieved 1 June 2014.
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    Chang, Jung-hsiang; Hsu, Elizabeth (May 25, 2014). "Tsai Ing-wen wins DPP chair election (update)". Central News Agency. Retrieved June 2, 2014.
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    "107年直轄市長選舉 候選人得票數". 中央選舉委員會 (in Chinese). Taiwan. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  34. [34]
    "2018 Local Elections". Archived from the original on 2018-11-24.
  35. [35]
    "Former premier Su to regain position". Taipei Times. 12 January 2019.
  36. [36]
    Pan, Jason. (May 20, 2019). "Tsai’s approval rating rising, poll shows." Taipei Times. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
  37. [37]
    Hsieh, Chun-ling (14 January 2020). "Su and Cabinet resign, but Su to stay on". Taipei Times. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
  38. [38]
    "Taiwan: Dozens killed as train crashes and derails in tunnel". BBC News. 2021-04-02. Retrieved 2021-04-02.
  39. [39]
    "Ex-VP Chen Chien-jen appointed premier - Focus Taiwan". focustaiwan.tw. 27 January 2023. Retrieved 2023-03-04.
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    "Su Tseng-chang's Cabinet resigns en masse amid reshuffle - Focus Taiwan". focustaiwan.tw. 30 January 2023. Retrieved 2023-03-04.
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    "Former vice president Chen to become new Taiwan premier". Reuters. 2023-01-25. Retrieved 2023-03-04.
  42. [42]
    "蘇貞昌內閣完整名單一次看！3分之2閣員留任" (in Chinese). Taiwan. 東森財經新聞. 13 January 2019. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  43. [43]
    Huang, Jewel (1 January 2005). "Su Tseng-chang enters race for DPP chairman". Taipei Times. Retrieved 9 April 2016.
  44. [44]
    "獨／陳菊私人Line帳號英文名曝光！賴清德是「威廉」、蘇貞昌叫Hope JW是誰？ | ETtoday新聞雲". www.ettoday.net (in Traditional Chinese). 14 July 2020. Retrieved 2020-07-17.
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