Yao Li-ming (Chinese: 姚立明; born 15 January 1952) is a Taiwanese political scientist, politician, and political commentator.
Life and career
Yao is of Mainland Chinese descent.[1] He attended the Affiliated Senior High School of National Taiwan Normal University before studying law at Fu Jen Catholic University, and subsequently earned a doctorate in the subject at Bielefeld University.[2] Prior to serving in the Third Legislative Yuan, Yao hosted a political talk show for the Public Television Service and was an adjunct instructor at National Sun Yat-sen University.[2] He represented Kaohsiung County in the Legislative Yuan from 1996 to 1999.[2] After Yao withdrew from the New Party during his legislative term,[3] he remained in office as a political independent.[2] Subsequently, Lin joined the Chinese Culture University faculty as a political scientist and professor of administrative management.[3][4] Aside from academia, Yao resumed his media career as a political commentator.[4] Later, Yao served as secretary-general of the Home Party,[5] and was ranked second on the Home Party party list for the January 2008 legislative elections, but was not elected to the Legislative Yuan.[6] He was also on the board of the Congress Watch Foundation.[7] He later became chairman of the Congress Watch Foundation.[8] Yao and former legislative colleague Chien Ta [zh] led a commemoration of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre held at Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in June 2009.[9] Yao was a founding board member of the Thinking Taiwan Foundation, established by Tsai Ing-wen in 2012.[10] Independent mayoral candidate Ko Wen-je offered Yao the position of campaign director before the 2014 Taipei mayoral election,[1][11] which Yao accepted.[12] In his role as campaign manager, Yao filed a lawsuit against Lo Shu-lei [zh] for defamation, as Lo had claimed that Ko was involved in corruption, tax evasion, and money laundering while working as a physician at National Taiwan University Hospital.[13] Ko's campaign later alleged that opposing candidate Sean Lien's campaign had wiretapped Ko's campaign office. In response, Lien's campaign manager Alex Tsai filed a lawsuit against Yao and other members of Ko's campaign staff.[14] After Ko won the Taipei mayoralty, Yao again returned to political commentary.[15][16] Yao later appeared alongside Ko in a February 2015 rally organized to support Tsai's recall as a legislator [zh].[15] Prior to the 2018 Taipei City Council election, Yao opined that there were many swing voters in Taipei, negating the city as a Kuomintang stronghold.[17] Yao Li-ming split with Ko, and offered his support and services as a campaign manager to Pasuya Yao instead.[18][19] During the 2024 Taiwanese presidential election cycle, Yao worked for William Lai's campaign. In August, Lai appointed Yao Vice President of the Judicial Yuan.[20]
