Premier Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) says he will not be running in the 2024 presidential elections. He made the comments after his first report as premier to the legislature on Friday. A lawmaker had asked if he will be running in the upcoming presidential election in early 2024.
When asked by a second lawmaker to confirm his answer, Chen said that he would finish his term in the Cabinet and then return to his work at Academia Sinica. Chen is a leading epidemiologist and served as vice president during President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) first term.
With Chen out of the race, the most often discussed candidate for the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) presidential nomination is current Vice President and DPP Chairman Lai Ching-te (賴淸德). Rumors have circulated that current Taiwan Representative to the US Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) intends to run for vice president, though she has refused to confirm or deny the rumors.