Biographies
Chang Chun-hsiung
Premier
Chang Chun-hsiung was born in Chiayi City to a lawyer and prosecutor.
After graduating from Chiayi High School, he entered the Department of Law at National Taiwan University. Four years later, he graduated first in the department's Division of Legal Science and passed the bar examination, once again ranking first among all participants. After completing his compulsory military service, Chang moved to Kaohsiung City, where he began practicing law.
In 1979, the Kaohsiung Incident—a crucial juncture in Taiwan's road to democracy—took place, resulting in the arrest of many democracy advocates. Defying a ban on defending these people dictated by the Taiwan Bar Association, a group of 15 lawyers, including Chang, came forward to fight for truth and justice. The highly publicized trial led to widespread calls for democracy and the end of martial law.
A milestone in the course of Taiwan's democratization reform was the establishment of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). To push for party politics in Taiwan, Chang worked with his colleagues to establish the Dangwai (non-Kuomintang) Public Policy Committee and its local branches. As a key player on the important Ten-member Secret Committee for Founding the Party, Chang joined other activists in drafting the party charter and platform. At a time when martial law was still in place and the formation of political parties strictly prohibited, the DPP was formally established on September 28, 1986, after 40 years of toil by democracy advocates and activists.
After the DPP was founded, Chang was elected to its first Central Standing Committee. He promoted the establishment of the DPP caucus in the Legislative Yuan and worked on the planning of its operations, the result of which was the legislative inter-party negotiation mechanism that is still in use today. In 1990, Chang was appointed convener of the DPP caucus.
While the nation's Constitution was promulgated in 1947, a constitutional court was not set up until 1993. Two years after the court's establishment, Chang requested a constitutional interpretation on two issues, which then became the court's first two cases. The first case involved the question of whether prosecutors should have the power to detain; the second asked whether the vice president may serve concurrently as premier. These cases were debated fiercely before the Constitutional Court, and the interpretations handed down helped safeguard the political and social rights of the people.
Since 1983, Chang has been elected to the Legislative Yuan a total of seven times, thereby becoming the most experienced DPP legislator. When Chen Shui-bian was named the DPP candidate for president in 2000, he invited Chang to serve as his campaign manager. Chang and the DPP team helped bring about Chen's victory, which led to Taiwan's first-ever transfer of governing power between parties.
After Chen took office on May 20, 2000, Chang first served as secretary-general at the Office of the President and then as vice premier. He was appointed premier in October of the same year, becoming the first DPP member to take up the post.
After leaving office in 2002, Chang held several positions, including senior advisor to the president, chairman of the Taiwan-Russia Association, and DPP secretary-general. During his seventh term as legislator, in 2003, Chang served concurrently as chairman of the Straits Exchange Foundation.
In May 2007, Chang was once again appointed to the premiership by President Chen. To echo the President's emphasis on fostering a "Taiwan-centric consciousness" and upholding social equity and justice, Chang has committed himself to opening new ground according to the needs of Taiwan's people.