Su Tseng-chang ( zh, t=蘇貞昌, poj=So͘ Cheng-chhiong, p=Sū Zhēnchāng; 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
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is a centre to centre-left Taiwanese nationalist political party in Taiwan. As the dominant party in the Pan-Green Coalition, one of the two main political camps in Taiwan, the DPP is currently the ...
in 2005 and from 2012 to 2014. Su served as Chief of Staff to
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment Film and television
*'' Præsident ...
Chen Shui-bian
Chen Shui-bian ( zh, t=陳水扁; born 12 October 1950) is a Taiwanese former politician and lawyer who served as the fifth president of the Republic of China (Taiwan) from 2000 to 2008. Chen was the first president from the Democratic Progres ...
in 2004.
[About Executive Yuan: Premier](_blank)
, ''Executive Yuan
The Executive Yuan () is the executive (government), executive branch of the government of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Under the Additional Articles of the Constitution of the Republic of China, amended constitution, the head of the Execut ...
, Republic of China (Taiwan)'', Updated 2006-02-24 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
The Kuomintang (KMT) is a major political party in the Republic of China (Taiwan). It was the one party state, sole ruling party of the country Republic of China (1912-1949), during its rule from 1927 to 1949 in Mainland China until Retreat ...
ticket of
Ma Ying-jeou
Ma Ying-jeou ( zh, t=馬英九; pinyin: ''Mǎ Yīngjiǔ''; ; born 13 July 1950) is a Taiwanese politician, lawyer, and legal scholar who served as the sixth president of the Republic of China from 2008 to 2016. A member of the Kuomintang (KMT ...
and
Vincent Siew
Siew Wan-chang (; born 3 January 1939), known also by his English name Vincent Siew, is a Taiwanese politician who served as the ninth vice president of the Republic of China (Taiwan) from 2008 to 2012. He was the first Taiwanese-born Prem ...
. 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
Tsai Ing-wen (; pinyin: ''Cài Yīngwén''; born 31 August 1956) is a Taiwanese politician and legal scholar who served as the seventh president of the Republic of China (Taiwan) from 2016 to 2024. A member of the Democratic Progressive Party ...
by a very narrow margin. Following the loss of Tsai to Ma Ying-jeou, Su was elected to succeed Tsai as DPP chairman in 2012.
During the Chen administration, Su, along with politicians
Annette Lu
Lu Hsiu-lien (; born 7 June 1944), also known by her English name Annette, is a Taiwanese politician and lawyer. A feminist active in the tangwai movement, she joined the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in 1990, and was elected to the Legis ...
, Frank Hsieh and
Yu Shyi-kun
You Si-kun (; born 25 April 1948), also romanized Yu Shyi-kun, is a Taiwanese politician. He was one of the founding members of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), and is known to be a strong advocate of Taiwan independence. He led the DPP ...
, are collectively known as the "Big Four of the Democratic Progressive Party". Su is nicknamed the "Lightbulb" or "E Ball" ( zh, labels=no, t_tw=電火球) and "Go Go Go" ( zh, labels=no, t_tw=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.
Early life and career
Su was born at Ministry of Health and Welfare Pingtung Hospital in
Pingtung,
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...
, on 28 July 1948. He studied at the
National Taiwan University
National Taiwan University (NTU; zh, t=國立臺灣大學, poj=Kok-li̍p Tâi-oân Tāi-ha̍k, p=, s=) is a National university, national Public university, public research university in Taipei, Taiwan. Founded in 1928 during Taiwan under J ...
. He was a practicing
lawyer
A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters.
The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as w ...
from 1973 to 1983 and became a defense lawyer in the
Kaohsiung Incident
The Kaohsiung Incident, also known as the Formosa Incident, the Meilidao Incident, or the ''Formosa Magazine'' incident,tang was a crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrations that occurred in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, on 10 December 1979 during Taiwa ...
trials. In September 1986, Su and seventeen others founded the
Democratic Progressive Party
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is a centre to centre-left Taiwanese nationalist political party in Taiwan. As the dominant party in the Pan-Green Coalition, one of the two main political camps in Taiwan, the DPP is currently the ...
.
He was previously the magistrate of
Pingtung County
Pingtung () is a County (Taiwan), county located in southern Taiwan. It has a warm tropical monsoon climate and is known for its agriculture and tourism. Kenting National Park, Taiwan's oldest national park, is located in the county. The county ...
(1989–1993) and magistrate of
Taipei County
New Taipei City is a Special municipality (Taiwan), special municipality located in regions of Taiwan, northern Taiwan. The city is home to an estimated population of 4,004,367 as of January 2023, making it the most populous city in Taiwan, a ...
(1997–2004).
His first election as the Taipei magistrate was aided by a split between the
New Party, the
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang (KMT) is a major political party in the Republic of China (Taiwan). It was the one party state, sole ruling party of the country Republic of China (1912-1949), during its rule from 1927 to 1949 in Mainland China until Retreat ...
, 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. Su's subsequent reelection occurred by a wide margin despite the ability of the
Pan-Blue Coalition
The Pan-Blue coalition, Pan-Blue force or Pan-Blue groups is a political coalition in the Republic of China (Taiwan) consisting of the Kuomintang (KMT), People First Party (PFP), New Party (CNP), Non-Partisan Solidarity Union (NPSU), and You ...
to present a united candidate,
Wang Chien-shien. He was Secretary-General (Chief of Staff) to the Office of the
President of the Republic of China
The president of the Republic of China, also known as the president of Taiwan, is the head of state of the Taiwan, Republic of China (Taiwan), as well as the commander-in-chief of the Republic of China Armed Forces. Republic of China (1912– ...
under President
Chen Shui-bian
Chen Shui-bian ( zh, t=陳水扁; born 12 October 1950) is a Taiwanese former politician and lawyer who served as the fifth president of the Republic of China (Taiwan) from 2000 to 2008. Chen was the first president from the Democratic Progres ...
(2004–2005). After President Chen resigned as DPP chairman following the
2004 legislative elections, he was elected the 10th-term DPP chairman.
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.
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. Su faced calls for his resignation after the
Rebar Chinese Bank run, but refused to leave his post at the time.
Su was a contender for the DPP nomination in the
2008 presidential election. 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.
On May 12, 2007, Su submitted his letter of resignation to President Chen Shui-bian, ending his tenure on May 21. 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). Su also stated that he previously submitted resignations numerous times over his sixteen-month tenure, but all were rejected by President Chen.
First cabinet
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.
2010 Taipei mayoral race
Although Su had been considered a strong candidate to helm the newly created
New Taipei City
New Taipei City is a Special municipality (Taiwan), special municipality located in regions of Taiwan, northern Taiwan. The city is home to an estimated population of 4,004,367 as of January 2023, making it the most populous city in Taiwan, a ...
, because he had previously served the area as Taipei County Magistrate, he instead ran for the mayoralty of Taipei City. 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. Su eventually lost the race to the incumbent mayor
Hau Lung-pin.
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, bgcolor="#000099",
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Kuomintang
The Kuomintang (KMT) is a major political party in the Republic of China (Taiwan). It was the one party state, sole ruling party of the country Republic of China (1912-1949), during its rule from 1927 to 1949 in Mainland China until Retreat ...
, align=center, 2
, align=left,
Hau Lung-pin
, align= 797,865
, align= 55.65%
, align=
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, bgcolor="#000000",
, align=left, Independent
, align=center, 3
, align=left, Helen Hsiao ( zh, labels=no, t_tw=蕭淑華)
, align= 2,238
, align= 0.16%
, align=
, -
, bgcolor="#000000",
, align=left, Independent
, align=center, 4
, align=left, Francis Wu ( zh, labels=no, t_tw=吳武明)
, align= 3,672
, align= 0.26%
, align=
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, bgcolor="#1B9431",
, align=left,
Democratic Progressive Party
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is a centre to centre-left Taiwanese nationalist political party in Taiwan. As the dominant party in the Pan-Green Coalition, one of the two main political camps in Taiwan, the DPP is currently the ...
, align=center, 5
, align=left, Su Tseng-chang
, align= 628,129
, align= 43.81%
, align=
, - bgcolor="#EEEEEE"
, colspan="4" align=right , Total
, align=1,433,736
, align=right colspan=2, 100.00%
, - bgcolor="#EEEEEE"
, colspan="4" align="right" , Voter turnout
, colspan="3" align="right" , 70.65%
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
Tsai Ing-wen (; pinyin: ''Cài Yīngwén''; born 31 August 1956) is a Taiwanese politician and legal scholar who served as the seventh president of the Republic of China (Taiwan) from 2016 to 2024. A member of the Democratic Progressive Party ...
and
Hsu Hsin-liang
Hsu Hsin-liang (; born 27 May 1941) is a Taiwanese politician, formerly Chairman of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). He was a supporter of the Pan-Blue Coalition from 2000 to 2008 but then supported the DPP in the 2008 presidential elect ...
, by a margin of 1.35 percent. He was subsequently elected DPP chairman in May 2012,
and was succeeded by Tsai in 2014, after dropping out of the chairmanship election in the wake of the
Sunflower Student Movement.
2018 New Taipei mayoral race

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
Tsai Ing-wen (; pinyin: ''Cài Yīngwén''; born 31 August 1956) is a Taiwanese politician and legal scholar who served as the seventh president of the Republic of China (Taiwan) from 2016 to 2024. A member of the Democratic Progressive Party ...
. He succeeded
William Lai, who had resigned in response to the
Democratic Progressive Party
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is a centre to centre-left Taiwanese nationalist political party in Taiwan. As the dominant party in the Pan-Green Coalition, one of the two main political camps in Taiwan, the DPP is currently the ...
's poor performance in the
2018 Taiwanese local elections
Local elections were held on 24 November 2018 in Taiwan, to elect county magistrates (city mayors), county (city) councilors, township mayors, township councilors and chiefs of village (borough) in 6 municipalities and 16 counties (cities). Elec ...
. 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. Su and his second cabinet resigned en masse following the
2020 Taiwanese legislative election
Legislative elections were held in Taiwan on 11 January 2020 to elect the 113 members of the Legislative Yuan. The elections were held concurrently with presidential elections. The term of the Legislative Yuan began on 1 February 2020.
The Dem ...
, as stipulated in the
constitution
A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organization or other type of entity, and commonly determines how that entity is to be governed.
When these pri ...
, but Tsai, who won reelection to the presidency, asked him to remain in his post.
Su visited the crash site of the
Hualien train derailment.
On November 5, 2021, Su was sanctioned by the
Taiwan Affairs Office
The Taiwan Affairs Office is an administrative agency under the State Council of the People's Republic of China (PRC). It is responsible for cross-strait relations and sets and implements guidelines and policies related to Taiwan, which is cl ...
of the People's Republic of China for "fanning up hostility across the Taiwan Strait and maliciously smearing the mainland".
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
Local elections were held in Taiwan on 26 November and 18 December 2022 to elect county magistrates (city mayors), county (city) councilors, township mayors, township councilors and chiefs of village (borough) in 6 municipalities and 16 counties ...
. 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.
Second cabinet
Personal life
Su is married to Chan Hsiu-ling ( zh, labels=no, t_tw=詹秀齡) with whom he has three daughters, one of which is
Su Chiao-hui. Su goes by the name “Hope” in his LINE profile.
See also
*
Politics of Taiwan
References
External links
*
Premier biography timelineat the Government Information Office, Republic of China (Taiwan)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Su, Tseng-chang
1948 births
Living people
Magistrates of Pingtung County
Democratic Progressive Party chairpersons
National Taiwan University alumni
Premiers of the Republic of China on Taiwan
Taiwan independence activists
Magistrates of Taipei County
Recipients of the Order of Brilliant Star
Taiwanese political party founders
Taiwanese people of Hoklo descent
21st-century Taiwanese politicians
20th-century Taiwanese politicians
Taiwanese individuals subject to Chinese sanctions