Physician turned DPP leader who rose through the premiership and vice presidency to become president in 2024
Born in 1959 into a poor coal-mining family in Wanli, Taipei County, he lost his father in a mining accident as a small child. He studied medicine at National Taiwan University and National Cheng Kung University, practised internal medicine, and took a master's in public health at Harvard in 2003. He entered politics in the National Assembly in 1996, sat in the Legislative Yuan from 1999 to 2010 and was the first mayor of the merged special municipality of Tainan from 2010 to 2017. As premier from 2017 he told the legislature he was "a political worker for Taiwan independence", and he resigned after the DPP's heavy defeat in the 2018 local elections. He was vice president under Tsai Ing-wen from 2020 to 2024, became DPP chairman in 2023, and won the 2024 presidential election, taking office on 20 May.
Also known as: William Lai · Lai Qingde
Activities and affiliations
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1999–2010
Republic of China state institutionsMember of the Legislative Yuan
Legislature and state representation -
2010–2017
Republic of China state institutionsMayor of Tainan
Government and administration -
2017–2019
Republic of China state institutionsPresident of the Executive YuanHeads of state, government and party of China
Political and party leadership -
2020–2024
Republic of China state institutionsVice President of the Republic of China
Government and administration -
2023
Political and party leadership
- Chairman of the Democratic Progressive Party2023–
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2024–
Republic of China state institutionsPresident of the Republic of ChinaHeads of state, government and party of ChinaMain
Political and party leadership
Career Timeline
- 1996Member of the National Assembly for Tainan City
- 1999–2010Member of the Legislative Yuan
- 2003Master of Public Health, Harvard University
- 2010.12–2017.09Mayor of Tainan
- 2017.09.08–2019.01.14President of the Executive Yuan
- 2020.05.20–2024.05.20Vice President of the Republic of China
- 2023.01.18–presentChairman of the DPP
- 2024.05.20–presentPresident of the Republic of China