Chen Shui-bian
This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (January 2013) Chen Shui-bian 陳水扁 President of the Republic of China In office May 20, 2000 – May 20, 2008 Premier Tang Fei Chang Chun-hsiung Yu Shyi-kun Frank Hsieh Su Tseng-chang Chang Chun-hsiung (2nd) Vice President Annette Lu Preceded by Lee Teng-hui Succeeded by Ma Ying-jeou Chairman of the Democratic Progressive Party In office October 15, 2007 – January 12, 2008 Preceded by Yu Shyi-kun Succeeded by Tsai Ing-wen In office July 21, 2002 – December 11, 2004 Preceded by Frank Hsieh Succeeded by Su Tseng-chang Mayor of Taipei In office December 25, 1994 – December 25, 1998 Preceded by Huang Ta-chou Succeeded by Ma Ying-jeou Member of the Legislative Yuan In office February 1, 1990 – December 25, 1994 Constituency DPP at-Taipei City Personal details Born (1950-10-12) October 12, 1950 (age 64) Guantian, Tainan City (Tainan County at that time), Taiwan Nationality  Republic of China Political party Democratic Progressive (2013–present) Other political affiliations Democratic Progressive (1989–2008) Independent (2008–2013) Spouse(s) Wu Shu-chen (m. 1975) Alma mater National Taiwan University (LL.B.) Occupation Lawyer Politician Religion Agnostic/I-Kuan Tao (lapsed) Chen Shui-bian Traditional Chinese 陳水扁 Simplified Chinese 陈水扁 Transcriptions Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Chén Shuǐbiǎn Min Hokkien POJ Tân Chúi-píⁿ This article contains Chinese text. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Chinese characters. Chen Shui-bian (born October 12, 1950) is a Taiwanese politician who served as President of the Republic of China (Taiwan) from 2000 to 2008. Chen's election ended more than fifty years of Kuomintang (KMT) control of the Executive Yuan in Taiwan. A native-born Taiwanese, he is colloquially referred to as A-Bian (阿扁; Ābiǎn; Taiwanese: 阿扁仔 A-píⁿ-à). 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 Feng, a college philosophy professor who was later elected a Kuomintang 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 March 18 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 only 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. Convicted, along with his wife Wu Shu-chen, on two bribery charges, Chen was sentenced to 19 years in Taipei Prison, reduced from a life sentence, but was granted medical parole on 5 January 2015. C Supporters have insisted that his trial was an unfair and politically motivated retribution by the Kuomintang for his years in power.