In a surprising move, Foxconn founder Terry Gou has selected actress Tammy Lai as his running mate for the upcoming Taiwan presidential election, despite her lack of political experience. Gou, running as an independent candidate after failing to secure the nomination from the main opposition Kuomintang, hopes to challenge established contenders.
Taiwan, a democracy since 1996, grapples with its relationship with China, which claims the island as its territory and has not ruled out the use of force for unification.
Gou, considered pro-China, has been trailing behind other candidates in various polls, including William Lai of the Democratic Progressive Party, Ko Wen-je of the Taiwan People’s Party, and Hou Yu-ih of the Kuomintang.
Tammy Lai, aged 60, is a veteran of the entertainment industry and gained recognition for her role as a presidential candidate in the Netflix series “Wave Makers,” which drew inspiration from President Tsai Ing-wen’s story and sparked a MeToo movement in Taiwan earlier this year. Her father, a US veteran deployed to Taiwan, left the island before her birth.
Questions have arisen about Lai’s nationality, as Taiwanese law prohibits presidential candidates with dual nationalities. A spokesperson mentioned that Lai would address this matter herself at a later time.
Dennis Weng, an associate professor at Sam Houston State University in the US, noted that while Gou’s choice of Tammy Lai might appeal to young voters due to her role in “Wave Makers,” it may not significantly impact the election results, as the youth demographic tends to favor other candidates over Gou.
