Tsai Ing-Wen, 59, won Presidential victory in Taiwan yesterday with 56.1 per cent of an estimated 18.7 million votes, ousting eight years of Kuomintang (KMT) Party rule in the island nation.
So just who is the nation’s newest leader? Here are seven interesting facts you may not know.
1. She’s the nation’s first female leader
Tsai Ing-wen (SAM YEH/AFP/Getty Images) Source: Getty Images
It also marked a landmark for the DPP who gained 68 of the 113 seats in parliament (or Legislative Yuan, as it’s known in Taiwan) against the rival KMT’s who won a mere 35 seats, marking a significant defeat of the Nationalist party, who’ve maintained control of the body since elections first began.
2. This marks her second attempt at gaining office
Tsai also ran for the top spot four years ago, missing out by only a narrow margin, much to the disappointment of her supporters who were pictured sobbing at the news of her defeat.
“I bear the responsibility for this defeat,” Tsai said at her concessional speech. “There will be a future for us,” she pledged to the assembled DPP supporters.
Emotional supporters of Tsai Ing-wen after her 2012 defeat. (PATRICK LIN/AFP/Getty Images) Source: Getty Images
“Next time, we will make that final mile. Dear people of Taiwan: One day, we will come back.”
With public dissatisfaction with outgoing LMT president Ma Ying-jeou increasingly growing, thanks in part to his pro-China policies and a weakening economy; the DPP has indeed proved victorious this time around.
3. Her election victory could seriously upset relations with China
Although Taiwan has ruled itself since 1949, China’s Communist party leaders still view it as Chinese territory, which they intend to restore back to what they view as its rightful place, under mainland rule.
Ing-wen’s party however, the DPP, is strongly in favour of independence from China.
"There is only one China in the world, the mainland and Taiwan both belong to one China and China's sovereignty and territorial integrity will not brook being broken up," , anticipating the change of regime.
"The results of the Taiwan region election does not change this basic fact and the consensus of the international community.”
“[The election result] could exert a profound influence on the region,” the Chinese party-run Global Times tabloid warned this week. “It adds uncertainties to Taiwan’s mainland policy as well as the situation across the straits.”
4. She loves cats
Cat lovers everywhere will be pleased to know that the President-elect is a cat lady too. Her two cats Xiang xiang (meaning “Think Think,”) and Ah Tsai are well known, with Tsai making frequent mentions of them throughout her campaign – with one of them even featuring in her Chinese New Year message last year.
Taipei academic and close friend of the president-elect J Michael Cole has previously told : “She very much enjoys sitting down with a glass of red wine, and reading a book and spending quality time with her cats.”
5. She’s pretty worldly
Tsai was a lawyer before she turned her hand to politics and with a master’s degree from New York's Cornell University and a doctorate from the London School of Economics so unlike some of her opponents, she's viewed as a truly global citizen.
“She is certainly a lot more worldly than previous leaders of the party,” Cole has previously told .
Tsai reportedly also looks up to German leader Angela Merkell as one of her role models.
6. Her Parliament has a reputation as one of the craziest in the world
During her time as President Tsai will likely oversee some rather dramatic debates in the Legislative Yuan (the Taiwanese Parliament), where tensions have a reputation for spilling over into physical confrontations. Such as an infamous brawl that broke out in 2013 over a proposed nuclear power plant:
In 2006, the DPP’s then deputy leader Wang Shu-hui actually ate a bill that was under discussion in Parliament that proposed to open up transport links with China, in order to prevent it being discussed.
Shu-hui also once threw a shoe at the Parliament’s speaker Wang Jin-pyng.
Taiwan legislators brawl in 2013 over proposed fourth nuclear power plant (SAM YEH/AFP/Getty Images) Source: Getty Images
Taiwanese legislator Wang Shu-hui attempts to eat a bill to prevent it being passed Source: STR
Parliament speaker Wang Jin-pyng is hit by a flying shoe thrown in parliament in 2007 (SAM YEH/AFP/Getty Images) Source: Getty Images
7. Tsai supports marriage equality
Taiwan could now potentially beat Australia in the race to legally recognise same sex marriage.
Ahead of 2015’s gay pride parade in the nation’s capital of Taipei, Tsai took to Facebook to share the following message.
Translated, “In the face of love, everyone is equal. Let everyone have the freedom to love and to pursue their happiness. I am Tsai Ing-wen, and I support marriage equality.”
