Editing Chen Shui-bian (section)

==Corruption scandals==
In May 2006, his approval rating fell to around 20% after a series of scandals centered on his wife and son-in-law.<ref name="Chao apologizes to president">{{cite news |last1=Young |first1=H. T. |title=Chao apologizes to president |url=http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/detail.asp?GRP=B&id=82481 |access-date=6 November 2021 |work=[[China Post]] |date=19 May 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070312080952/http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/detail.asp?GRP=B&id=82481 |archive-date=12 March 2007}}</ref> Support from his own party had also dropped with a few prominent members, such as [[Shih Ming-teh]], calling for his resignation in the [[Million Voices Against Corruption, President Chen Must Go]] campaign. On 24 May 2006, his son-in-law, [[Chao Chien-ming]], was taken into custody by the Taipei police on charges of [[insider trading]] and [[embezzlement]] by the opposition party. This was a setback for the Chen Shui-bian administration.<ref name="Chao apologizes to president" /> In related charges, there were accusations from the opposition party that Chen Shui-bian's wife was involved in trading stocks and obtaining [[Sogo|Pacific Sogo Department Store]]'s gift certificates illegally in exchange for settling the disputed ownership.{{Citation needed|date=January 2008}}

On 1 June 2006, Chen declared that he was handing control of governmental matters to [[Premier of the Republic of China]], [[Su Tseng-chang]], and announced he would not be involved in campaigning. He also stated that he was retaining authority on matters that the [[Constitution of the Republic of China|constitution]] required him to retain authority over, presumably foreign affairs and defense policy, as well as relations with the PRC.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/5035838.stm |title=Asia-Pacific {{pipe}} Taiwan leader surrenders powers |work=[[BBC News]] |date=1 June 2006 |access-date=7 January 2017 |archive-date=6 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306030737/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/5035838.stm |url-status=live }}</ref>

On 20 July 2006, opposition politicians accused that Chen had used a total of NT$10.2&nbsp;million (US$310,000) worth of "fake invoices" to claim expenses after the National Audit Office found irregularities in presidential office accounts. The Taiwan High Court Prosecutors' Office investigated over this accusation.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2006-09-08 |title=First couple questioned over slush fund - Taipei Times |url=https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2006/09/08/2003326656 |access-date=2025-05-27 |website=www.taipeitimes.com}}</ref> In a press release, the presidential office responded that the president assured the investigators that he did not pocket a single cent of the fund. During questioning at the presidential Office on the afternoon of 7 August 2006, the president detailed to the prosecutor how he spent the fund and presented relevant receipts and bank remittance statements.<ref>[http://english.www.gov.tw/TaiwanHeadlines/index.jsp?categid=8&recordid=99228] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080118190500/http://english.www.gov.tw/TaiwanHeadlines/index.jsp?categid=8&recordid=99228|date=18 January 2008}}</ref>

Chen also lost a libel case brought on successfully by PFP chairman James Soong. Soong sued the president after Chen repeatedly accused him of secretly meeting the director of the People's Republic of China's Taiwan Affairs Office. Soong successfully sued Chen for NT$3&nbsp;million.<ref>[http://au.news.yahoo.com/070216/2/12g11.html] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070822212721/http://au.news.yahoo.com/070216/2/12g11.html|date=22 August 2007}}</ref>

On 3 November 2006, Chen's wife [[Wu Shu-chen]] and three other high-ranking officials of the Presidential Office were indicted of corruption of NT$14.8&nbsp;million (US$450,000) of government funds using faked documents. Due to the protection from the constitution against prosecution of the sitting president, Chen could not be prosecuted until he left office, and he was not indicted, but was alleged to be an accomplice on his wife's indictment.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6112668.stm|title=Taiwan's Chen in corruption case|work=BBC News|date=3 November 2006|access-date=4 November 2006|archive-date=18 January 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070118212210/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6112668.stm|url-status=live}}</ref> The prosecutor of the case indicated that once Chen left office, his office would start the procedures to press charges against Chen. The indictment filed by prosecutors states that the indicted persons obtained government funds earmarked for secret foreign affairs, yet of six supposed secret diplomatic missions, there was sufficient evidence presented for only two. Of the remaining four, it was concluded that one did not exist, and in the case of the other three, the invoices presented were not found to be related to the secret missions.{{Citation needed|date=January 2008}}

The [[pan-Blue coalition]], after receiving the news, demanded to call for another recall motion unless Chen resigned immediately. Another small party that backed Chen previously, Taiwan Solidarity Union, said they would likely to support the upcoming recall measure. If the recall had passed, it would have been up to the voters to decide Chen's fate in a referendum.

Leaders of the [[Democratic Progressive Party]] met together to discuss the unfavorable charges. The meeting ended when party leaders demanded Chen to explain the accusation within three days. There had long been rumblings inside the DPP that Chen has become their liability and should recall him before the presidential election. If Chen had resigned, he would have been the first Taiwanese president to step down and the vice-president, [[Annette Lu]], would likely have taken power.

After the prosecutor announced the indictment, the campaign leader Shih proclaimed that the indictment was the historical high point in [[Taiwan]] and the month-long campaign was a success.{{Citation needed|date=January 2008}}

In a press conference 5 November 2006, Chen rebutted the charges against his wife and members of his presidential office. He said that Taiwan government offices advised him to prepare the receipts in such a fashion, and that after six years of doing so, it is strange that they would never mention an irregularity if it was not the right way to do it. He promised that all of the money actually went to diplomatic missions and did not go into any private pockets. Furthermore, he mentioned that when he took office, he thought his salary was so excessive that he cut his own salary in half, and that reduction is more than the amount he is accused of embezzling, so there is no need for him to take that money. In addition, he said that if the charges against his wife were proven in a court of law just as they were charged, then he would at that time step down as President of the Republic of China.{{Citation needed|date=January 2008}}

In defense of Chen, journalist Therese Shaheen of ''[[The Wall Street Journal Asia]]'' pointed out that controversy surrounding Chen can be in part attributed to the radical reforms he has tried to implement since stepping into power.<ref>{{cite news
 |first = Therese
 |last = Shaheen
 |title = Taiwan's "Refuse-to-Lose" Crowd
 |url = http://www.aei.org/publications/filter.all,pubID.25113/pub_detail.asp
 |work = [[The Wall Street Journal Asia]]
 |publisher = [[Dow Jones & Company]]
 |date = 8 November 2006
|access-date = 26 November 2006
 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061116150415/http://www.aei.org/publications/filter.all%2CpubID.25113/pub_detail.asp
 |archive-date = 16 November 2006
}}</ref>

===Recall motion===
{{See also|Million Voices Against Corruption, President Chen Must Go}}
In mid-June 2007, opposition pan-blue camp lawmakers initiated a recall motion that would allow the voters to remove Chen from power via a public referendum. On 20 June, Chen addressed the nation by television, denying any involvement of the first family or himself (other than his son-in-law) in any of the alleged scandals, or "directly" accepting the department's gift certificates.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2006-06-21 |title=Taiwan debate on ousting leader |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/5100926.stm |access-date=2025-05-27 |language=en-GB}}</ref> The motion was not passed. Of 221 lawmakers in the legislature, all 119 pan-blue and independent legislators voted in favor of the measure, 29 votes short of the two-thirds majority needed to pass the motion. Pan-Green legislators from the president's own party, the [[Democratic Progressive Party|DPP]], refused to receive ballots. [[Pan-Green]] legislators from the allied [[Taiwan Solidarity Union|TSU]] cast abstaining ballots. No legislator voted against the recall motion.

After Wu was indicted, the Pan-Blue parties renewed calls to recall Chen, and TSU at first indicated that it would support the recall this time, but then said it would only support the new recall motion if "concrete evidence concerning corruption is presented".<ref>{{Cite web |date=2006-11-07 |title=TSU reverses stand on new recall vote - Taipei Times |url=https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2006/11/07/2003335170 |access-date=2025-05-27 |website=www.taipeitimes.com}}</ref>

[[Image:Taiwan's demonstrators1.JPG|thumb|right|200px|The "Besiege the Presidential Office" demonstration on 10 October 2006]]
On 1 September 2006, political activist [[Shih Ming-te]] launched an [[Anti-Chen Campaign|anti-corruption campaign]]. The movement accused Chen of corruption and asked for his resignation. By 7 September, more than one million signatures were collected, each with a donation of NT$100 (approximately US$3.00).<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/5323466.stm|last=Gluck|first=Caroline|title=Protests against Chen gain ground|work=BBC News|date=7 September 2006|access-date=9 September 2006|archive-date=7 March 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080307014748/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/5323466.stm|url-status=live}}</ref> On 9 September, tens of thousands of people demonstrated in the streets of [[Taiwan]], wearing red. According to organisers, around 200,000 to 300,000 people joined the protest outside the presidential offices, but the police used aerial photography [[crowd counting]] techniques to put the number at about 90,000.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/5329816.stm|title=Taiwan leader faces mass protest|work=BBC News|date=9 September 2006|access-date=9 September 2006|archive-date=9 March 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080309190932/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/5329816.stm|url-status=live}}</ref> Shih Ming-teh confirmed that most of his supporters are from the [[pan-Blue coalition]] in a September interview in ''[[The New York Times]]''.

===2008 elections===
{{Main|2008 Republic of China legislative election|Republic of China presidential election, 2008}}

In the [[2008 Republic of China legislative election|legislative election in 2008]], Chen's party suffered a clear defeat, and Chen subsequently resigned as party chairman. With Chen's resignation and [[Frank Hsieh]]'s ascension as the party's new chairman, the DPP has changed chairmen seven times since Chen took office in 2000.

In the presidential election on 22 March 2008, Kuomintang candidate [[Ma Ying-jeou]] defeated DPP candidate [[Frank Hsieh]].