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Taiwan’s vice-president William Lai faces race against time to secure Democratic Progressive Party’s hold on power
- The party’s new chairman and most likely presidential candidate took over after a heavy defeat in local elections
- His past comments on independence have caused concern in the US and risk provoking Beijing and Lai is now trying to promote a more pragmatic stance
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Lawrence Chungin Taipei
William Lai, the newly elected chairman of Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party, faces a tough task in steering the badly wounded party back on track if it is to hold on to power in a year’s time.
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In addition to helping the party regain public support, he needs to win the trust of the United States and avoid fuelling cross-strait tensions by playing down his image as a hardline pro-independence politician ahead of the presidential election in January next year, according to analysts.
Lai, 63, the island’s vice-president was sworn in as the party’s new chief on Wednesday, following his victory in last Sunday’s uncontested election for chairman.
President Tsai Ing-wen, who resigned as DPP chairwoman following the party’s worst ever performance in November’s local government elections, will step down when her presidential term expires and Lai is seen as the DPP’s most likely candidate to succeed her.
The DPP suffered an electoral drubbing two months ago as it struggled to tackle claims of illicit finances, election bribery and connections to organised crime.
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A series of separate scandals where some key candidates in the local elections were accused of plagiarising their academic theses prompted further doubts about its integrity.
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