Taiwan's Han Kuo-yu of the opposition Kuomintang (KMT) was elected as head of Taiwan's 11th Legislative Yuan on Feb. 1, 2024, the equivalent of Singapore's Speaker of Parliament.

The other 113 members were sworn in earlier on the same day, with no single party holding an absolute majority in the legislature.

The "Han wave"

A former school principal and legislator, Han is no stranger to controversy.

According to Taiwan News, he has alleged links to a crime boss and once flipped a table and punched former Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian in 1993, sending him to the hospital.

However, his re-emergence into the political scene in 2018 brought upon what was coined the "Han wave" due to his immense popularity, supposedly due to his "commoner" image which was a contrast to the typical image of KMT politicians.

Han seemed destined for more than being the mayor of Kaohsiung, with an eye on a wider stage.

He was elected to represent the party in the 2020 presidential election.

However, Han was accused of abandoning the city in favour of pursuing his political ambitions

His election campaign was also overshadowed by verbal gaffes, his pro-Beijing stance, and his purchase of expensive property despite his "regular Joe" image.

He eventually lost to Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)'s Tsai Ing-wen in the bid to become the seventh president of Taiwan.

Taiwan's 11th Legislature Yuan

In the run-up to the 2024 Taiwan elections, Han vowed to increase defence spending as a way of “deterrence, dialogue and de-escalation” with Beijing, which claims the island as its own, as reported by HKFP.

On Jan. 13, 2024, William Lai Ching-te of the DPP won the 2024 Taiwan presidential election and became the island's eighth president.

However, Han was elected as Taiwan's new legislative speaker by the newly elected legislators, winning with 54 votes while You Si-kun of DPP took 51 votes.

The KMT holds 52 seats, while the ruling DPP has 51.

The other seats in the legislature are taken by two KMT-aligned independents and the Taiwan People's Party (TPP) with eight seats.

The Taiwan People's Party (TPP) legislators, who could have prevented Han's ascension had they sided with the DPP, abstained from voting.

After the results were announced, You Si-kun announced in a statement on social media that he is to leave the legislature starting Feb. 2, 2024.

His position is expected to be taken over by Wang Cheng-hsu, a doctor and chairman of a charity.

The new legislature will remain in office through 2028.

The Legislative Yuan and the Head of legislature

According to the presidential office website, the Legislative Yuan "exercises legislative power on behalf of the people" and that a president and a vice president would be "elected by and from among its members".

The head of legislature, also known as the legislative speaker or president of legislature, is in charge of passing the bills, laws and principles put forward by the Legislative Yuan.

With Han being the new legislative speaker and the KMT holding 52 seats in the Legislative Yuan, the KMT will have greater influence over Taiwan’s legislative agenda for the next four years.

Top image via Han Kuo-Yu/Facebook