Vice President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) has formally registered his candidacy to run for chair of the ruling Democratic People’s Party (DPP), according to a statement on his Facebook page. Lai is widely thought to be one of the leading candidates for the 2024 presidential election.
The new chair is being chosen after President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) stepped down from the role following disappointing losses in recent local elections. The DPP won only 5 out of 22 races.
In his statement, Lai says that he hopes to regroup, hold an in-depth review of the party, and regain the trust of the people. Lai announced last week that he had tested positive for COVID-19 and had mild symptoms, so his candidacy papers were submitted by former Culture Minister Cheng Li-chun (鄭麗君). Registration for the chairmanship by-election ends on Friday, and the chair’s term will run from January 2023 to May 2024.