Foxconn founder picks actress as VP choice in Taiwan presidential poll

Robert Besser
19 Sep 2023, 16:30 GMT+10

This week, Terry Gou, founder of major Apple supplier Foxconn, announced that his running mate in Taiwan's presidential election next year will be Tammy Lai
In August, after months of speculation, billionaire Gou announced that he would run as an independent candidate, despite polls showing he is well behind the ruling Democratic Progressive Party's William Lai
Veteran actress, author, and singer Lai played a presidential candidate in Wave Makers earlier this year

TAIPEI, Taiwan: This week, Terry Gou, founder of major Apple supplier Foxconn, announced that his running mate in Taiwan's presidential election next year will be Tammy Lai, an actress who starred in a high-profile Netflix drama, "Wave Makers."

In August, after months of speculation, billionaire Gou announced that he would run as an independent candidate, despite polls showing he is well behind the ruling Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) William Lai, the favorite and currently Taiwan's vice president.

Veteran actress, author, and singer Lai played a presidential candidate in Wave Makers earlier this year. At the end of the show, she wins the election.

The series also kicked off a renewed #MeToo movement in Taiwan.

Lai told reporters, "I am quite open-minded. I told myself that last year I would set no ceiling for myself, and I did not expect I would actually be raised up this far."

"After meeting Chairman Gou two or three times, I was very sure he is someone I could cooperate with because he is fascinating. I told him, 'We are going to have fun'," she added.

Gou has been trying to unite the anti-DPP vote but has yet to reach an agreement with either the main opposition party, the Kuomintang, or the smaller Taiwan People's Party.

According to election regulations, to qualify as an independent candidate, Gou must gather close to 300,000 voter signatures by November 2, and he needed to decide his running mate before he could collect signatures.