Taipei, April 27 (CNA) Tsai Ing-wen, head of the oppositionDemocratic Progressive Party (DPP) , is set to become Taiwan's firstfemale presidential candidate in history when she represents the DPPin the country's presidential election to be held in January 2012.

Tsai, a 54-year-old former college professor, will face PresidentMa Ying-jeou, who will be running for re-election.

She was vice premier and head of the ministry-level MainlandAffairs Council when the DPP was in power from 2000 to 2008.

She won the nomination after beating Su Tseng-chang and HsuHsin-liang, both former party chairmen, in opinion polls conducted byfive separate polling agencies April 25-26, each with at least 3,000valid samples.

Tsai's nomination is expected to be confirmed at a CentralExecutive Committee meeting on May 4.

(By Jay Chen)
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