Su Tseng-chang facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Su Tseng-chang
蘇貞昌
Official portrait, 2019
Senior Advisor to the President
Incumbent
Assumed office 1 August 2024
President	Lai Ching-te
20th and 30th Premier of the Republic of China
In office 14 January 2019 – 31 January 2023
President	Tsai Ing-wen
Vice Premier	Chen Chi-mai Shen Jong-chin
Preceded by	Lai Ching-te
Succeeded by	Chen Chien-jen
In office 25 January 2006 – 21 May 2007
President	Chen Shui-bian
Vice Premier	Tsai Ing-wen
Preceded by	Frank Hsieh
Succeeded by	Chang Chun-hsiung
10th and 14th Chairman of the Democratic Progressive Party
In office 30 May 2012 – 28 May 2014
Deputy	Lin Hsi-yao
Preceded by	Chen Chu (acting)
Succeeded by	Tsai Ing-wen
In office 15 February 2005 – 3 December 2005
Deputy	Chang Chun-hsiung Lee I-yang
Preceded by	Ker Chien-ming (acting)
Succeeded by	Annette Lu (acting)
23rd Secretary-General to the President
In office 20 May 2004 – 1 January 2005
President	Chen Shui-bian
Preceded by	Chiou I-jen
Succeeded by	Yu Shyi-kun
11th Magistrate of Taipei County
In office 20 December 1997 – 20 May 2004
Preceded by	You Ching
Succeeded by	Lin Hsi-yao (acting)
Member of the Legislative Yuan
In office 1 February 1996 – 20 December 1997
Constituency	Taipei County
5th Secretary-General of the Democratic Progressive Party
In office 22 November 1993 – 3 July 1995
Chairman	Hsu Hsin-liang Shih Ming-te
Preceded by	Chiang Peng-chien
Succeeded by	Chiou I-jen
8th Magistrate of Pingtung
In office 20 December 1989 – 20 December 1993
Preceded by	Shih Meng-hsiung
Succeeded by	Wu Tse-yuan
Personal details
Born	(1948-07-28) 28 July 1948 (age 76) Pingtung City, Taiwan
Political party	Democratic Progressive Party
Spouse	Chan Hsiu-ling
Children	3, including Chiao-hui
Education	National Taiwan University (LLB)

Su Tseng-chang (Chinese: 蘇貞昌; pinyin: Sū Zhēnchāng; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: So͘ Cheng-chhiong) was born on July 28, 1948. He is a Taiwanese politician. He served as the Premier of Taiwan two times. His first term was from 2006 to 2007. His second term was from 2019 to 2023.

Mr. Su was also the chairman of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) from 2005 to 2005 and again from 2012 to 2014. In 2004, he was the Chief of Staff for President Chen Shui-bian. He is known for serving the longest as a DPP premier in Taiwan's history.

Su Tseng-chang ran for president in 2008 but came in second. He later ran as vice president with Frank Hsieh. They lost to Ma Ying-jeou. In 2010, Su ran for Taipei City Mayor but lost. He also tried for the 2012 presidential race but lost to Tsai Ing-wen. After Tsai lost the election, Su became the DPP chairman in 2012.

During the time of President Chen Shui-bian, Su was part of a group called the "Big Four of the Democratic Progressive Party." This group also included Annette Lu, Frank Hsieh, and Yu Shyi-kun. People in Taiwan sometimes call Su the "Lightbulb" or "E Ball" (Chinese: 電火球) and "Go Go Go" (衝衝衝). These nicknames came from his energetic way of campaigning in the 1980s. They also playfully refer to his bald head.

Early Life and Political Start

Su Tseng-chang was born in Pingtung, Taiwan, on July 28, 1948. He went to National Taiwan University. He worked as a lawyer from 1973 to 1983. He was a defense lawyer in the important Kaohsiung Incident trials. In September 1986, Su and 17 other people started the Democratic Progressive Party.

He served as the leader, or magistrate, of Pingtung County from 1989 to 1993. Later, he was the magistrate of Taipei County from 1997 to 2004. He won his first election as Taipei magistrate because the other parties were divided. He won his next election by a large amount.

From 2004 to 2005, he was the Secretary-General (Chief of Staff) for President Chen Shui-bian. After the DPP lost elections in 2005, Su resigned as chairman.

First Time as Premier: 2006–2007

Su Tseng-chang became the new Premier on January 19, 2006. He officially started his job on January 25, 2006. He promised to step down if things like crime did not get better in six months. He faced calls to resign later but stayed in his position.

Su wanted to be the DPP candidate for president in the 2008 election. He announced his plan on February 25. In the DPP primary vote on May 6, 2007, Su came in second. He then decided to leave the race.

On May 12, 2007, Su sent his resignation letter to President Chen Shui-bian. His time as Premier ended on May 21.

Su's First Cabinet

Here are some of the key people who worked with Premier Su during his first term:

Presidential Campaign in 2008

Su ran for vice president with Frank Hsieh, who was the DPP's choice for president. They ran against Ma and Siew. On March 22, they lost the election. Ma and Siew received 7,659,014 votes (58.45%), while Hsieh and Su received 5,444,949 votes (41.55%).

Taipei Mayoral Race in 2010

Su Tseng-chang ran for mayor of Taipei City in 2010. He had served as Taipei County Magistrate before. Su promised to finish his full term if he won. This meant he would not run for president in 2012. However, Su lost the election to the current mayor, Hau Lung-pin.

2010 Taipei City Mayoral Election Result
Party		#	Candidate	Votes	Percentage
	Independent	1	Wu Yen-cheng (吳炎成)	1,832	0.13%
	Kuomintang	2	Hau Lung-pin	797,865	55.65%
	Independent	3	Helen Hsiao (蕭淑華)	2,238	0.16%
	Independent	4	Francis Wu (吳武明)	3,672	0.26%
	Democratic Progressive Party	5	Su Tseng-chang	628,129	43.81%
Total				1,433,736	100.00%
Voter turnout				70.65%

Campaigns in 2012

Su announced he would run for president in 2012. However, he lost the DPP party primary in April 2011 to Tsai Ing-wen. He later became the DPP chairman in May 2012. Tsai Ing-wen took over as chairman in 2014.

New Taipei Mayoral Race in 2018

2018 New Taipei mayoralty election result

Su Tseng-chang ran for mayor of New Taipei City in 2018. He represented the Democratic Progressive Party. He received 873,692 votes, which was 42.85% of the total. However, he lost the election to Hou You-yi of the Kuomintang. Hou You-yi received 1,165,130 votes (57.15%).

2018 New Taipei City mayoral results

No.	Candidate	Party	Votes	Percentage
1	Su Tseng-chang	Democratic Progressive Party	873,692	42.85%
2	Hou You-yi	Kuomintang	1,165,130	57.15%

Total voters: 3,264,128; Valid votes: 2,038,822; Voter turnout: 62.46%.

Second Time as Premier: 2019–2023

President Tsai Ing-wen appointed Su Tseng-chang as Premier on January 14, 2019. He took over from William Lai. Su was 71 years old when he became Premier again, making him one of the oldest to hold the job. After Su became Premier, President Tsai's approval ratings went up.

Su and his cabinet resigned after the 2020 elections. This is a normal process in Taiwan's government. However, President Tsai, who won reelection, asked him to stay.

Su visited the site of the Hualien train derailment after the accident. In November 2021, he faced sanctions from China. On January 19, 2023, Su announced he would resign as Premier. This was after the DPP lost many local elections in 2022. He and his cabinet resigned on January 30. Chen Chien-jen became the new Premier the next day.

Su's Second Cabinet

Here are some of the key people who worked with Premier Su during his second term:

Personal Life

Su Tseng-chang is married to Chan Hsiu-ling. They have three daughters. One of their daughters is Su Chiao-hui. Su uses the name "Hope" on his LINE profile.

See also

• Politics of Taiwan