Taiwan’s ruling party officially has a new chairperson. Vice President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) officially became the party’s 17th chairperson on Wednesday. Lai won the election for the chair position last Sunday after running unopposed.
Lai says he will take on the responsibility of reorganizing the party and moving it in a new direction. That comes after the DPP suffered historic losses in last November’s local elections.
Lai says he will earnestly lead the party to combine the strengths of all sectors of society. He adds he will return the party to governing in a clean, diligent, loving of their native soil, and green way.
Lai says his first reform will be to go after corruption and plagiarized academic accreditations. Both problems are seen as key reasons for the party’s losses in last year’s elections.
The new chairperson has previously said he was a “pragmatic worker for Taiwanese independence.” Lai says he believes Taiwan is already a sovereign, independent country, and that there is therefore no reason to declare independence.