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The Most Famous

POLITICIANS from Taiwan

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This page contains a list of the greatest Taiwanese Politicians. The pantheon dataset contains 15,577 Politicians, 16 of which were born in Taiwan. This makes Taiwan the birth place of the 110th most number of Politicians behind Guinea and Sri Lanka.

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Taiwanese Politicians of all time. This list of famous Taiwanese Politicians is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Taiwanese Politicians.

Photo of Tsai Ing-wen

1. Tsai Ing-wen (1956 - )

With an HPI of 66.97, Tsai Ing-wen is the most famous Taiwanese Politician.  Her biography has been translated into 90 different languages on wikipedia.

Tsai Ing-wen (Chinese: 蔡英文; pinyin: Cài Yīngwén; Wade–Giles: Ts’ai4 Ying1-wen2; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Chhòa Eng-bûn; Zhuyin Fuhao: ㄘㄞˋ ㄧㄥ ㄨㄣˊ; born 31 August 1956) is a Taiwanese politician who has been serving as the president of the Republic of China (Taiwan) since 2016. A member of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), Tsai is the first female president of Taiwan and the second (after Chen Shui-bian) to be born in Taiwan after the end of the Chinese Civil War in December 1949. She served as chair of the DPP from 2020 to 2022, as well as from 2014 to 2018, and from 2008 to 2012. Her second presidential term will expire and she will be succeeded by her vice president, Lai Ching-te, on 20 May 2024. Tsai was born and raised in Taipei and studied law and international trade, and later became a law professor at Soochow University School of Law and National Chengchi University after earning an LLB from National Taiwan University and an LLM from Cornell Law School. She later studied law at the London School of Economics and was awarded a PhD. In 1993, as an independent (without party affiliation), she was appointed to a series of governmental positions, including trade negotiator for WTO affairs, by the then ruling party Kuomintang (KMT) and was one of the chief drafters of the special state-to-state relations doctrine under the President Lee Teng-hui.During the first term of Chen Shui-bian's presidency, Tsai served as Minister of the Mainland Affairs Council. She joined the DPP in 2004 and served briefly as a DPP-nominated at-large member of the Legislative Yuan, and was then appointed as Vice Premier under Premier Su Tseng-chang until the cabinet's mass resignation in 2007. Following the DPP's defeat in the presidential election in 2008, she was elected as party chair of the DPP, but she resigned when the party lost the presidential election in 2012.Tsai ran for New Taipei City mayorship in the 2010 municipal elections but was defeated by the KMT candidate, Eric Chu. In April 2011, Tsai became the first woman to be nominated by a major party as a presidential candidate in the history of Taiwan the Republic of China after defeating her former superior, Su Tseng-chang, in the DPP's primary election by a slight margin. In the 2012 Taiwanese presidential election, she was defeated by the then-president Ma Ying-jeou, but she won her first term of presidency in the 2016 presidential election by a landslide in a rematch against Eric Chu. In the 2020 presidential election, she was re-elected as president after winning the election against Han Kuo-yu. Tsai is the second president from the DPP, and also the first popularly elected president to have never served as the Mayor of Taipei. Tsai was named one of Time's most influential people of 2020 and was #9 on Forbes's most powerful women and #2 female politician after Kamala Harris of 2021. Internationally, Tsai has been praised for her response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and for standing up to pressure from the Government of the People's Republic of China. Tsai resigned as head of the Democratic People's Party (DPP) in November 2022, citing her party's poor performance in local elections earlier that month.

Photo of Lee Teng-hui

2. Lee Teng-hui (1923 - 2020)

With an HPI of 63.67, Lee Teng-hui is the 2nd most famous Taiwanese Politician.  His biography has been translated into 47 different languages.

Lee Teng-hui (Chinese: 李登輝; 15 January 1923 – 30 July 2020) was a Taiwanese statesman and agriculturist who served as president of the Republic of China (Taiwan) under the 1947 Constitution and chairman of the Kuomintang (KMT) from 1988 to 2000. He was the first president to be born in Taiwan, the last to be indirectly elected and the first to be directly elected. During his presidency, Lee oversaw the end of martial law and the full democratization of the ROC, advocated the Taiwanese localization movement, and led an ambitious foreign policy agenda to gain allies around the world. Nicknamed "Mr. Democracy", Lee was credited as the president who completed Taiwan's democratic transition. After leaving office, he remained active in Taiwanese politics. Lee was considered the "spiritual leader" of the pro-independence Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU), and recruited for the party in the past. After Lee campaigned for TSU candidates in the 2001 Taiwanese legislative election, he was expelled by the KMT. Other activities that Lee engaged in included maintaining relations with former Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian and Japan.

Photo of Chen Shui-bian

3. Chen Shui-bian (1950 - )

With an HPI of 57.88, Chen Shui-bian is the 3rd most famous Taiwanese Politician.  His biography has been translated into 51 different languages.

Chen Shui-bian (Chinese: 陳水扁; Wade–Giles: Chen Shü’i-bian; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Tân Chúi-píⁿ; born 12 October 1950) is a Taiwanese former politician and lawyer who served as the president of the Republic of China (Taiwan) from 2000 to 2008. Chen was the first president from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) which ended the Kuomintang's (KMT) 55 years of continuous rule in Taiwan. He is colloquially referred to as A-Bian (阿扁). A lawyer, Chen entered politics in 1980 during the Kaohsiung Incident as a member of the Tangwai movement and was elected to the Taipei City Council in 1981. He was jailed in 1985 for libel as the editor of the weekly pro-democracy magazine Neo-Formosa, following publication of an article critical of Elmer Fung, a college philosophy professor who was later elected a New Party legislator. After being released, Chen helped found the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in 1986 and was elected a member of the Legislative Yuan in 1989, and Mayor of Taipei in 1994. Chen won the 2000 presidential election on 18 March with 39% of the vote as a result of a split of factions within the Kuomintang, when James Soong ran for the presidency as an independent against the party nominee Lien Chan, becoming the first non-member of the Kuomintang to hold the office of president. Although Chen received high approval ratings during the first few weeks of his term, his popularity sharply dropped due to alleged corruption within his administration and the inability to pass legislation against the opposition KMT, who controlled the Legislative Yuan. In 2004, he won reelection by a narrow margin after surviving a shooting while campaigning the day before the election. Opponents suspected him of staging the incident for political purposes. However, the case was officially closed in 2005 with all evidence pointing to a single deceased suspect, Chen Yi-hsiung. In 2009, Chen and his wife Wu Shu-chen were convicted on two bribery charges. Chen was sentenced to 19 years in Taipei Prison, reduced from a life sentence on appeal, but was granted medical parole on 5 January 2015. Chen's supporters have claimed that his trial and sentencing were politically motivated retribution by the Kuomintang for his years in power.

Photo of Su Tseng-chang

4. Su Tseng-chang (1947 - )

With an HPI of 56.02, Su Tseng-chang is the 4th most famous Taiwanese Politician.  His biography has been translated into 29 different languages.

Su Tseng-chang (Chinese: 蘇貞昌; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: So͘ Cheng-chhiong; 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 in 2005 and from 2012 to 2014. Su served as Chief of Staff to President Chen Shui-bian in 2004. 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 ticket of Ma Ying-jeou and Vincent Siew. 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 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, Frank Hsieh and Yu Shyi-kun, are collectively known as the "Big Four of the Democratic Progressive Party". Su is nicknamed the "Lightbulb" or "E Ball" (電火球) and "Go Go Go" (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.

Photo of Zheng Keshuang

5. Zheng Keshuang (1670 - 1707)

With an HPI of 53.11, Zheng Keshuang is the 5th most famous Taiwanese Politician.  His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Zheng Keshuang, Prince of Yanping (Chinese: 鄭克塽; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Tēⁿ Khek-sióng; 13 August 1670 – 22 September 1707), courtesy name Shihong, art name Huitang, was the third and last ruler of the Kingdom of Tungning in Taiwan in the 17th century. He was the second son of Zheng Jing and a grandson of Koxinga (Zheng Chenggong). After surrendering to the Qing dynasty in 1683, he was ennobled as Duke of Hanjun (漢軍公), and lived the rest of his life in Beijing.

Photo of Frank Hsieh

6. Frank Hsieh (1946 - )

With an HPI of 48.02, Frank Hsieh is the 6th most famous Taiwanese Politician.  His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Frank Hsieh Chang-ting (Chinese: 謝長廷; Hanyu Pinyin: Xiè Chángtíng; Tongyong Pinyin: Siè Cháng-tíng; Wade–Giles: Hsieh4 Ch'ang2-t'ing2; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Siā Tiông-têng / Chiā Tiông-têng; Zhuyin Fuhao: ㄒㄧㄝˋ ㄔㄤˊ ㄊㄧㄥˊ; born May 18, 1946) is a Taiwanese politician and former defense attorney. A cofounder of the Democratic Progressive Party, he has served on the Taipei City Council, the Legislative Yuan, as the mayor of Kaohsiung City, and as the Premier of the Executive Yuan under president Chen Shui-bian. Hsieh was the DPP nominee in the 2008 presidential election and was defeated by Ma Ying-jeou. Hsieh is currently the head of the Representative of Taiwan to Japan.

Photo of Wu Den-yih

7. Wu Den-yih (1948 - )

With an HPI of 47.64, Wu Den-yih is the 7th most famous Taiwanese Politician.  His biography has been translated into 24 different languages.

Wu Den-yih (born 30 January 1948) is a Taiwanese politician. He graduated from National Taiwan University and worked as a journalist before beginning a career in politics with a 1973 appointment to the Taipei City Council. Wu was then elected Magistrate of Nantou County, serving from 1981 to 1989. Following two terms as magistrate, he was named Mayor of Kaohsiung in 1990. Wu remained mayor until 1998, having won the office in a 1994 direct election. He then served two full terms in the Legislative Yuan from 2002 to 2008. Shortly after winning a third term in the legislature, Wu was named Premier of the Republic of China in 2009. He served until 2012, when he and Ma Ying-jeou formed the Kuomintang (KMT) presidential ticket. Wu served one four-year term as Vice President of the Republic of China, stepping down in 2016. In May 2017, he was elected party chairman. Wu stepped down from the position in January 2020. Previously, Wu had served the KMT as secretary-general from 2007 to 2009, first vice chairman in 2014, and as acting chairman in 2014 and 2015.

Photo of Annette Lu

8. Annette Lu (1944 - )

With an HPI of 47.56, Annette Lu is the 8th most famous Taiwanese Politician.  Her biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Annette Lu Hsiu-lien (Chinese: 呂秀蓮; pinyin: Lǚ Xiùlián; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Lū Siù-liân; born 7 June 1944) is a Taiwanese politician. A feminist active in the tangwai movement, she joined the Democratic Progressive Party in 1990, and was elected to the Legislative Yuan in 1992. Subsequently, she served as Taoyuan County Magistrate between 1997 and 2000, and was the Vice President of the Republic of China from 2000 to 2008, under President Chen Shui-bian. Lu announced her intentions to run for the presidency on 6 March 2007, but withdrew to support eventual DPP nominee Frank Hsieh. Lu ran again in 2012, but withdrew for a second time, ceding the nomination to DPP chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen. She lost the party's Taipei mayoral nomination to Pasuya Yao in 2018, and stated that she would leave the party. However, by the time Lu announced in September 2019 that she would contest the 2020 presidential election on behalf of the Formosa Alliance, she was still a member of the Democratic Progressive Party.

Photo of William Lai

9. William Lai (1959 - )

With an HPI of 47.05, William Lai is the 9th most famous Taiwanese Politician.  Her biography has been translated into 22 different languages.

Lai Ching-te (Chinese: 賴清德; Hanyu Pinyin: Lài Qīngdé; Tongyong Pinyin: Lài Cing-dé; Wade–Giles: Lai4 Ch’ing1-te2; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Lōa Chheng-tek; Zhuyin Fuhao: ㄌㄞˋ ㄑㄧㄥ ㄉㄜˊ; born 6 October 1959), also known as William Lai, is a Taiwanese politician and former physician who is the current vice president and president-elect of Taiwan, having won the 2024 presidential election. His inauguration will be held on 20 May 2024. He is due to be the third incumbent vice president of Taiwan to become president, and the first to assume the office through election instead of a predecessor's death. Born to a working-class coal mining family in Taipei County, Lai studied rehabilitation and public health at universities in Taipei, ultimately obtaining a Master's degree from Harvard University in 2003. After serving as the president of the National Physician Support Association, Lai ran in the 1996 Legislative Yuan election, winning a seat representing Tainan City. After being re-elected to the Legislative Yuan four consecutive times, Lai ran for Mayor of Tainan in 2010. Lai won and served as mayor for seven years, winning reelection in 2014. In September 2017, President Tsai Ing-wen announced Lai would replace outgoing premier Lin Chuan. He has served as vice president since 2020. On 24 November 2018, Lai announced his intention to resign from the premiership after the Democratic Progressive Party suffered a major defeat in local elections, and left office on 14 January 2019 after the swearing-in of his successor Su Tseng-chang. Lai mounted a challenge against Tsai in the 2019 Democratic Progressive Party presidential primary and after defeat, served as Tsai's running mate in the 2020 Taiwan presidential election in which the tandem was victorious. In April 2023, Lai was nominated by the DPP as their presidential candidate for the 2024 presidential election and was elected with 40.05% of votes. Describing himself as a "pragmatic worker for Taiwanese independence", Lai favors preserving the current status quo in regards to the political status of Taiwan, arguing that it is already independent, as well as strengthening relations with the United States and other liberal democracies.

Photo of Chen Chien-jen

10. Chen Chien-jen (1951 - )

With an HPI of 46.68, Chen Chien-jen is the 10th most famous Taiwanese Politician.  His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Chen Chien-jen OS KSG KHS (Chinese: 陳建仁; Wade–Giles: Chen2 Chien4-jen2, born 6 June 1951) is a Taiwanese epidemiologist and politician who has served as the premier of the Republic of China (Taiwan) since 2023. He joined the Chen Shui-bian presidential administration in 2003 as leader of the Department of Health, serving through 2005. He later headed the National Science Council between 2006 and 2008. Chen then served as a vice president of Academia Sinica from 2011 to 2015. Later that year, Chen joined Tsai Ing-wen on the Democratic Progressive Party presidential ticket and served as Vice President of Taiwan from 2016 to 2020. Chen joined the DPP in 2022 and was appointed premier in January 2023. He was a member of the Board of Trustees of Fu Jen Catholic University before running for the presidential election and served as Fu Jen's Robert J. Ronald Chair Professor after leaving office.

Pantheon has 17 people classified as politicians born between 1670 and 1989. Of these 17, 15 (88.24%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living politicians include Tsai Ing-wen, Chen Shui-bian, and Su Tseng-chang. The most famous deceased politicians include Lee Teng-hui and Zheng Keshuang. As of April 2022, 1 new politicians have been added to Pantheon including Yani Tseng.

Living Politicians

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Deceased Politicians

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Newly Added Politicians (2022)

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