Su Tseng-chang

Su Tseng-chang
蘇貞昌
Official portrait, 2019
Senior Advisor to the President
Assumed office
1 August 2024
PresidentLai Ching-te
20th and 30th Premier of the Republic of China
In office
14 January 2019 – 31 January 2023
PresidentTsai Ing-wen
Vice PremierChen Chi-mai
Shen Jong-chin
Preceded byLai Ching-te
Succeeded byChen Chien-jen
In office
25 January 2006 – 21 May 2007
PresidentChen Shui-bian
Vice PremierTsai Ing-wen
Preceded byFrank Hsieh
Succeeded byChang Chun-hsiung
10th and 14th Chairman of the Democratic Progressive Party
In office
30 May 2012 – 28 May 2014
DeputyLin Hsi-yao
Preceded byChen Chu (acting)
Succeeded byTsai Ing-wen
In office
15 February 2005 – 3 December 2005
DeputyChang Chun-hsiung
Lee I-yang
Preceded byKer Chien-ming (acting)
Succeeded byAnnette Lu (acting)
23rd Secretary-General to the President
In office
20 May 2004 – 1 January 2005
PresidentChen Shui-bian
Preceded byChiou I-jen
Succeeded byYu Shyi-kun
11th Magistrate of Taipei County
In office
20 December 1997 – 20 May 2004
Preceded byYou Ching
Succeeded byLin Hsi-yao (acting)
Member of the Legislative Yuan
In office
1 February 1996 – 20 December 1997
ConstituencyTaipei County
5th Secretary-General of the Democratic Progressive Party
In office
22 November 1993 – 3 July 1995
ChairmanHsu Hsin-liang
Shih Ming-te
Preceded byChiang Peng-chien
Succeeded byChiou I-jen
8th Magistrate of Pingtung
In office
20 December 1989 – 20 December 1993
Preceded byShih Meng-hsiung
Succeeded byWu Tse-yuan
Personal details
Born (1948-07-28) 28 July 1948 (age 76)
Pingtung City, Taiwan
Political partyDemocratic Progressive Party
SpouseChan Hsiu-ling
Children3, including Chiao-hui
EducationNational Taiwan University (LLB)
Su Tseng-chang
Traditional Chinese蘇貞昌
Simplified Chinese苏贞昌
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinSū Zhēnchāng
Southern Min
Hokkien POJSo͘ Cheng-chhiong

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.

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]

  1. ^ Tsai, June (31 May 2012). "Former Premier Su takes over as DPP leader". Taiwan Today.
  2. ^ About Executive Yuan: Premier Archived 2011-05-21 at the Wayback Machine, Executive Yuan, Republic of China (Taiwan), Updated 2006-02-24
  3. ^ 林楠森 (27 April 2011). "蔡英文赢得民进党总统候选人提名" (in Chinese). BBC中文網. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  4. ^ "蘇貞昌得票率50.47% 當選民進黨主席" (in Chinese). Taiwan. Taiwan News. 27 May 2012. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  5. ^ 李欣芳、邱燕玲 (29 September 2006). "四天王到齊 民進黨慶 營造大團結" (in Chinese). Taiwan. Liberty Times. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  6. ^ "《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.
  7. ^ "E Ball = 電火球". Twitter. Retrieved 2023-02-02.