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Yao Li-ming
Yao Li-ming
姚立明
	Official portrait, 2024
Member of the Legislative Yuan
	In office; 1 February 1996 – 31 January 1999
Constituency	Kaohsiung County
Personal details
Born	15 January 1952 (age 72); Taipei, Taiwan
Nationality	Taiwan
Political party	Independent
Other political; affiliations	New Party (1993–1997); Home Party (2007–2014)
Education	Fu Jen Catholic University (LLB); Bielefeld University (PhD)

Yao Li-ming (Chinese: 姚立明; born 15 January 1952) is a Taiwanese political scientist, politician, and political commentator. He was elected to the Legislative Yuan in 1995 as a member of the New Party, then withdrew from the party before concluding his term in 1999. Yao ran for reelection in 2008, while affiliated with the Home Party and was not elected. He later worked for Ko Wen-je's 2014 Taipei mayoral campaign, and for William Lai's 2024 presidential campaign. Lai nominated Yao for an open seat on the Judicial Yuan after winning the presidency. However, the Legislative Yuan did not approve Yao's selection.

Early life and education

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]

Political career

Legislative Yuan

Yao 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]

Political media and campaign operative

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 Luo Shu-lei 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.^[20]

Unsuccessful Judicial Yuan appointment

In August 2024, Lai appointed Yao Vice President of the Judicial Yuan.^[21] However, legislative confirmation hearings for seven Judicial Yuan positions were delayed.^[22] Hearings eventually began on 2 December, but left the Judicial Yuan with the lowest number of justices since the introduction of judicial interpretation in 1947.^[23] The Legislative Yuan voted to reject Yao's nomination, and that of six others to the Judicial Yuan, on 24 December 2024.^[24] Days before deciding on Lai's nominees, legislators had voted to require the Judicial Yuan have ten active judges before hearing a case.^[25]

References

^ ^a ^b Wang, Chris (17 July 2014). "Ko Wen-je trying to recruit Yao Li-ming for campaign". Taipei Times. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Yao Li-ming (3)". Legislative Yuan. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
^ ^a ^b Hsu, Crystal (24 April 2001). "New Party fighting for its life as elections approach". Taipei Times. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
^ ^a ^b Ko, Shu-ling (17 October 2008). "Chen Shui-bian files suit against political pundit". Taipei Times. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
^ Shih, Hsiao-kuang (17 December 2007). "Small parties unhappy with airtime". Taipei Times. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
^ "〈快訊〉不分區立委開票結果一覽表" (in Chinese). TVBS. 12 January 2008.
^ Wang, Flora (21 July 2008). "Watchdog releases report on legislature". Taipei Times. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
^ Gerber, Abraham (8 August 2016). "Groups push for end to 'recommended' budget allocations". Taipei Times. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
^ Hsieh, Wen-hua; Tseng, Wei-chen; Loa, Iok-sin (5 June 2009). "TIANANMEN 20 YEARS ON: FEATURE: Group battles apathy to remember victims". Taipei Times. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
^ Wang, Chris (7 August 2012). "Tsai Ing-wen announces launch of new foundation". Taipei Times. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
^ Liu, Shih-chung (30 July 2014). "Ko Wen-je upholds fresh image". Taipei Times. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
^ Hsiao, Alison (18 July 2014). "Yao to lead Ko's campaign team". Taipei Times. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
^ Hsiao, Alison (11 September 2014). "Lo Shu-lei accuses Ko of corruption". Taipei Times. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
^ Shih, Hsiu-chuan; Loa, Iok-sin (25 November 2014). "KMT's Alex Tsai files wiretapping suit". Taipei Times. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
^ ^a ^b Gerber, Abraham; Hsiao, Alison (14 February 2015). "Hundreds rally for recall vote today". Taipei Times. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
^ Shih, Hsiu-chuan; Chien, Li-chung (6 March 2015). "Ma willing to testify in donations case". Taipei Times. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
^ Lin, Sean (20 February 2018). "FEATURE: 'Third-force' candidates aim to shake KMT's hold on Taipei in year-end vote". Taipei Times. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
^ Chen, Wei-han (31 January 2018). "Yao not planning to pull out of DPP to seek election". Taipei Times. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
^ Lee, I-chia (1 February 2018). "Ko says he respects Yao Li-ming's choice for mayor". Taipei Times. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
^ "Lai picks former Ko backer as campaign director". Taipei Times. 7 November 2023. Retrieved 28 December 2024.
^ Teng, Pei-ju; Lin, Ching-yin; Fan, Cheng-hsiang; Kuo, Chien-shen (30 August 2024). "President nominates Judicial Yuan head, deputy; choices panned by opposition". Central News Agency. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
^ Teng, Pei-ju (1 November 2024). "Justice Shieh Ming-yan named acting Judicial Yuan head". Central News Agency. Retrieved 8 December 2024.
^ Teng, Pei-ju (6 December 2024). "ANALYSIS/Legislative bill places cloud of uncertainty over Constitutional Court". Central News Agency. Retrieved 8 December 2024.
^ Teng, Pei-ju (24 December 2024). "Constitutional Court in a bind after justice nominees rejected". Central News Agency. Retrieved 24 December 2024. Republished as: Garcia, Sam; Khan, Fion (25 December 2024). "All 7 of Lai's judicial nominees rejected". Taipei Times. Retrieved 25 December 2024.
^ Wang, Yang-yu; Teng, Pei-ju; Lai, Sunny (20 December 2024). "Measures raising bar for Constitutional Court rulings clear Legislature". Central News Agency. Retrieved 24 December 2024. Republished as: "Court reform bill passes legislature". Taipei Times. 22 December 2024. Retrieved 24 December 2024.