DPP formally backs Tsai Ing-wen as 2020 presidential nominee

Taipei, June 19 (CNA) President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said the support of younger voters will be critical to her chances of winning re-election after she was formally nominated Wednesday by the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) as its 2020 presidential candidate.

Tsai won the nomination after fending off a tough internal primary challenge from former Premier Lai Ching-te (賴清德), who mounted his bid in the wake of the DPP's major setback in the 2018 local elections in November that forced Tsai to resign as the party's chairperson.

"The goal for the 2020 elections is clear: win the presidency and more than half of the Legislature's seats," Tsai said, vowing to consolidate the party machinery and campaign teams for both the presidential and legislative elections to win public support.

The president eyed the support of the younger generations as the key to winning the election and said she will pursue that support by understanding and responding to their needs.

Tsai's nomination was confirmed at the party's Central Executive Committee (CEC) meeting Wednesday.

DPP Chairman Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said at the meeting that the party will adopt a two-pronged approach to winning the backing of voters. There will be a "grand strategy," referring to winning the presidency and maintaining majority control of the Legislature, and a "grand dialogue," referring to communications with all sectors of society, he said.

The nomination was a foregone conclusion after the DPP announced the results of its presidential primary on June 13, in which Tsai received 35.67 percent support in polls against Kuomintang presidential hopeful Han Kuo-yu and independent Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je while Lai received 27.48 percent support in similar polls.

Taiwan will elect its next president and 113 legislators on Jan. 11, 2020.