Foxconn’s Terry Gou Aims for Presidency with Famous Actor as VP

In the upcoming Taiwan presidential election set for January next year, the founder of Foxconn, Terry Gou, is running as an independent candidate, drawing attention to his running mate. This famous actor played a presidential candidate in a Netflix series.

With just over two months left until the Taiwan presidential election, Terry Gou and his running mate, Lai Pei-hsia, have secured the qualifications to run as independent candidates after receiving signatures from 902,389 voters, according to reports from Taiwanese media outlets such as the Liberty Times on the 15th.

Terry Gou, Foxconn Founder, Secures Independent Candidacy

According to the Central Election Commission of Taiwan, one must receive signatures from 1.5% of the voters from the previous presidential election to qualify as an independent candidate. In this case, the joint signatures have exceeded the minimum requirement of 289,667 threefold. Apart from Gou, nine other individuals failed to secure independent candidacy.

Gou is a tycoon in Taiwan’s business world, known for founding Foxconn, a Taiwanese electronics manufacturing company widely known as Apple’s largest supplier. According to Forbes, as of the end of last year, he has a fortune of US$6.8 billion, ranking him 317th in the world and 6th in Taiwan.

In anticipation of the 2020 presidential election, he stepped down from his position as chairman of Foxconn. He joined the Kuomintang, the largest opposition party, and even participated in the party’s primary but faced defeat. Also, he competed in the Kuomintang’s presidential primary in May but faced elimination and declared his independent candidacy just over three months later. Known for his pro-China political stance, many often refer to him as “Taiwan’s Trump.” Analysts expect Gou’s candidacy to split votes that would otherwise favor the Kuomintang.

Taiwan’s ‘MeToo’ Wave Sparked by Drama Featuring Presidential Candidate

His running mate, Lai Pei-hsia, is also garnering attention. Lai Pei-hsia is a famous Taiwanese actor who gained popularity earlier this year for her role as a presidential candidate in the Netflix series The Magician on the Skywalk. The series, addressing sensitive issues like workplace sexual harassment and the division of household chores between spouses, has sparked a new MeToo movement in Taiwanese society. If elected, Gou will make Lai Pei-hsia the Vice President.

In September, when introducing Lai Pei-hsia as his running mate, Gou said, “I thought of Lai Pei-hsia as my only choice for a running mate when I decided to run.” In response, Lai Pei-hsia noted, “After meeting with Terry Gou several times, I am confident that we can work together.”

The next Taiwan presidential election will be held on January 13 next year, concurrently with the legislative elections. The elected president will succeed the current President, Tsai Ing-wen, and start their term on May 20 next year.

By. Kim Sung Wook