Chen Shui-bian

Chen Shui -bian (Chinese陈水扁, Pinyin Chén Shuǐbiǎn, PEH oē - jī Tân Chui - pí ⁿ; born October 12, 1950 in Guantian, Tainan County, Taiwan ) is a Taiwanese politician and was dated 20 May 2000 to 20 May 2008 President and thus head of State of the Republic of China on Taiwan. He was a member of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP ), which he chaired between October 2007 and January 2008. On 15 August 2008, he resigned from the party, to forestall an exclusion.

Chen was the first president not of decades dominant Kuomintang ( KMT ) belonged. He is also - like his predecessor Lee Teng- hui (KMT ) - not from the Chinese mainland, but was born in Taiwan.

Chen Shui -bian is a proponent of Taiwan independence. In the difficult relationship with the People's Republic of China proclaimed by him, he pursued the policy of the five noes. He also campaigned for the abolition of the death penalty and for the establishment of a World Environment Organization at the UN.

Biography

Chen comes from a poor family in southern Taiwan. He studied law at the National Taiwan University and graduated in 1974 as valedictorian from. He then worked as a lawyer for maritime law. In 1980, he began to defend dissidents who stood in opposition to the KMT, and became a dedicated advocate for democracy and human rights. In 1986, he was arrested because of his attitude. He joined in the same year the DPP. He was elected as the youngest delegate to parliament in 1989. 1994 to 1998 he was mayor of the capital Taipei. On March 18, 2000, he was first elected in the presidential election with 39.3 % of the vote for president.

On March 19, 2004 - the day before the next presidential election - an assassination attempt was made ​​on his life during a campaign event. Chen, who won the election with a very narrow majority of 50.11 % against 49.89 %, was injured in the attack on the belly. Vice President Lu Hsiu-lien, which was also victims of the attack, suffered a knee injury. The opposition accused him after the elections to have staged the attack in order to win an election victory. On 23 March 2004 he accepted the call for a recount of the votes that confirmed his narrow election victory. The KMT related parties ( the so-called "pan - blue coalition " ) threw him continued violent electoral fraud. During his second term lasting until 2008 almost all of the policy of his government was blocked in Parliament by the opposition.

Scandals

The end of May and beginning of June 2006 saw the biggest shake Chen his tenure. His son- Chao Chien -ming, a well-known doctor, was arrested for involvement in a multi-million dollar insider trading. Introduced this severe crisis earlier this year, Chen was arrested on suspicion of corruption as a former close associate. Then his wife came under criticism since it could benefit a large scale of free vouchers a department store chain.

Even close followers of the Democratic Progressive Party, including Shih Ming - teh, the main proponent of the democratic movement in Taiwan, fell on Chen and called for his resignation. To forestall an impeachment, which was, however, now also initiated with the votes of the ruling party, Chen announced on 2 June 2006 that he " renounce the exercise of power " on his (弃权, Qiquan ) and - in circumvention of the Vice President Lu Hsiu-lien - this the Prime Minister on wear.

In September 2006, more than 100,000 people protested in Taipei under the title "One Million Voices Against Corruption, President Chen Must Go " (百万 人民 倒 扁 运动). As part of the campaign, which was led by Shih Ming - teh, attracted more than one million signatures demanding Chen's resignation, together. When asked about the campaign, Shih Ming -teh confirmed in an interview with the New York Times in September that most of his followers from the " pan-blue coalition " ( Kuomintang, etc.) come from.

The falling popularity Chen eventually led to landslide losses of his party and the victory of the opposition Kuomintang in elections to the Legislative Yuan on January 12, 2008. Chen took the political responsibility and resigned from his acquired in October 2007 as Chairman of the DPP. The presidential election on March 22, 2008 ended with a clear victory of the candidate of the Kuomintang, Ma Ying- jeou, who succeeded Chen as president on May 20, 2008.

On 11 November 2008, Chen was taken into custody on suspicion of corruption and money laundering. On September 11, 2009, he was convicted and his wife Wu Shu-chen of a lower court in Taipei, among others, on charges of corruption and embezzlement of campaign funds in the tens of millions to life sentences, with wife Wu Shu -chen, on a wheelchair and constant help relies, the punishment can serve as house arrest. In addition, Chen was sentenced to a fine of 200 million Taiwan dollars (about 4 million euros ) and his wife to a fine of 300 million Taiwan dollars. The judgments could still be appealed to a higher court. In a second instance, Chen was acquitted on 8 June 2010 by the allegations of misappropriation of public funds. The judge's decision with respect to the other two charges of money laundering and corruption, was released on June 11, and reduced his sentence to 20 years in prison. The appeal by the highest court is still pending.

On 3 June 2013, the Taiwanese Ministry of Justice announced that Chen was trying to come up with a towel take in the prison of Taichung life to protest in this way against his conviction.