Chairperson of the Democratic Progressive Party

Chairmanship

In the early days of the DPP, the tenure of chairman was only one year. It was extended to two years in around 1990.

After amendments to the constitution of the DPP in 2000, the incumbent President of the Republic of China, if a member of the Party, shall be the chairperson of the DPP upon assuming office and until the end of their tenure as President. When in opposition, the chairman shall be directly elected by members of the DPP with a two-year term of office, renewable once.

When vacancy of chairmanship occurs and that the remaining term of office is within a year, the Central Committee shall elect a new chair amongst themselves. Otherwise, a by-election shall be held for party members to elect a successor.

List

denotes interim chairman

Records

As of May 2024, the following records had been set by chairs of the Democratic Progressive Party:

Tsai Ing-wen held the party chairmanship for the longest cumulative period, serving from 2008 to 2012, 2014 to 2018, and 2020 to 2022, for a total of ten years.

Tsai Ing-wen was elected to the greatest number of terms, serving as chair during the 12th, 13th, 15th, 16th, and 17th terms.

Huang Hsin-chieh was the only chair to serve two consecutive full terms, the third and fourth.

Chiang Peng-chien, the first party chair, was the youngest person to assume the office, taking office at the age of 46.

Su Tseng-chang was the oldest person to assume the office, taking office as the 14th chair at the age of 65.

Annette Lu was the first woman to serve as party chair, acting in that capacity during the 11th term. Tsai Ing-wen was the first woman to be directly elected by party members as the full chair, becoming the 13th chair.

Hsu Hsin-liang, the fifth chair, was the first chair of Hakka descent.

No party chair has been identified primarily as being of waishengren or Indigenous Taiwanese background. However, two chairs, Frank Hsieh and Tsai Ing-wen, have partial Indigenous ancestry.

Several former party chairs have headed institutions of the central government of the Republic of China. Chen Shui-bian, Tsai Ing-wen, and Lai Ching-te have served as president; Annette Lu and Lai Ching-te have served as vice president; Frank Hsieh, Su Tseng-chang, Yu Shyi-kun, Lai Ching-te, and Cho Jung-tai have served as premier; Yu Shyi-kun and Chen Chi-mai have served as vice premier; Yu Shyi-kun has served as president of the Legislative Yuan; Yao Chia-wen has served as president of the Examination Yuan; and Chen Chu has served as president of the Control Yuan. Chen Chu’s party membership was suspended during her tenure to preserve the independence required of the president and members of the Control Yuan.

With the exception of Lin Yu-chang, who served as acting chair during the 16th term, every party chair has previously held elected office as a member of the Taiwan Provincial Assembly, the Legislative Yuan, or another representative body.

Since local self-government was introduced in 1951, every DPP-affiliated mayor of Kaohsiung has been elected party chair or served as acting chair while in office: Frank Hsieh as the eighth chair, Chen Chu as acting chair during the 13th term, and Chen Chi-mai as acting chair during the 17th term.

Since direct presidential elections were introduced in 1996, all DPP-nominated or DPP-endorsed presidential and vice-presidential candidates, except Peng Ming-min, Su Jia-chyuan, Chen Chien-jen, and Hsiao Bi-khim, have been elected party chair or served as acting chair.

Two former party chairs later served as DPP secretary-general: Chiang Peng-chien in 1992 and Lin Yu-chang in 2018.

Four former party chairs left the DPP: Hsu Hsin-liang, Shih Ming-teh, Lin Yi-hsiung, and Chen Shui-bian. Hsu rejoined the party in May 2008, while Chen rejoined it in August 2013.

Four chairs returned to the office after previously stepping down: Hsu Hsin-liang, as the fourth and sixth chair; Chen Shui-bian, as the ninth and 12th chair; Su Tseng-chang, as the tenth and 14th chair; and Tsai Ing-wen, as the 13th and 15th chair and, concurrently as president, the 17th chair.

Seven party chairs were imprisoned as political prisoners during Taiwan’s White Terror period: Shih Ming-teh, Huang Hsin-chieh, Chen Chu, Lin Yi-hsiung, Annette Lu, Yao Chia-wen, and Hsu Hsin-liang. Shih served the longest period of imprisonment. He was imprisoned three times as a political prisoner, received two life sentences, and spent nearly 26 years in prison in total.

Four party chairs ran for president of the Republic of China as the DPP’s nominee while serving as chair: Chen Shui-bian in 2004, Frank Hsieh in 2008, Tsai Ing-wen in 2016, and Lai Ching-te in 2024. Chen, Tsai, and Lai were elected, while Hsieh was defeated.

Of the eight defendants convicted in connection with the Kaohsiung Incident, all except Lin Hung-hsuan later served as party chair or acting chair: Shih Ming-teh, Huang Hsin-chieh, Lin Yi-hsiung, Chen Chu, Chang Chun-hung, Annette Lu, and Yao Chia-wen.

Five party chairs have served as premier: Yu Shyi-kun and Frank Hsieh, who were appointed by Chen Shui-bian; Lai Ching-te, who was appointed by Tsai Ing-wen; and Su Tseng-chang and Cho Jung-tai, the latter of whom was appointed by Lai Ching-te. Su Tseng-chang is the only person to have been appointed premier by two different presidents—Chen Shui-bian and Tsai Ing-wen.

Yu Shyi-kun, the 11th chair, is the only party chair to have served as both premier and president of the Legislative Yuan.

Lai Ching-te, the 18th chair, is the only party chair to have served as president, vice president, and premier of the Republic of China.

Frank Hsieh, the eighth chair, was the first party chair born after the end of the Second World War; he was born on 18 May 1946.

Chen Shui-bian, the ninth chair, was the first incumbent president to serve concurrently as DPP chair. Both Chen and Tsai Ing-wen, who served as the 15th and 17th chair, resigned from the party chairmanship while serving as president.

Among the party’s former chairs, Chiang Peng-chien, Shih Ming-teh, Huang Hsin-chieh, and Chai Trong-rong, who exercised the powers of the chair during the 11th term, are deceased.