Chen Shui-bian of the Democratic Progressive Party has named as his running mate political dissident and feminist Annette Lu, the first woman ever to run for vice president in Taiwan on a major party’s ticket.
Chen made the announcement on the anniversary of the Formosa Incident, a human rights protest that ended violently. Chen praised Lu’s participation in the democracy movement and told supporters that he and Lu “will always pursue democratic reforms and stand on the right side of democracy.”
Lu challenged the Taiwanese to advance farther than the United States by choosing a female vice president. “The world’s most powerful country, America, was able to put a man on the moon 30 years ago,” Lu said. “But in the past 30 years, it still hasn’t been able to put a woman in the White House.”
