Tsai Ying-wen has presidency and history within reach!

[garyoak99]

Four years ago this week, Tsai Ying-wen stood before thousands of crestfallen supporters in yellow raincoats in the dark of night. The lawyer-turned-politician had just lost Taiwan’s presidential election to incumbent Ma Ying-jeou, extending her party’s exile from power for another four years.

“I bear the responsibility for this defeat,” she said, conceding to her Nationalist Party rival and announcing she would step down as head of the Democratic Progressive Party. But she was hardly defeatist, despite the 51%-45% loss. “There will be a future for us. Next time, we will make that final mile,” she pledged. “Dear people of Taiwan: One day, we will come back.”

Come Saturday, the 59-year-old, who has a master’s degree from Cornell University and a doctorate from the London School of Economics, is poised not only to make good on that vow but also to make history.

Having held a double-digit lead in opinion polls for months, Tsai appears all but certain to become Taiwan’s first female president.

http://www.latimes.com/world/asia/la-fg-taiwan-tsai-ying-wen-president-20160111-story.html
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