TAIPEI -- Lai Ching-te, whose coal miner father died while he was a toddler, took over as leader of Taiwan's ruling party on Wednesday, promising to address voter dissatisfaction and push through reforms ahead of a presidential election in less than 12 months.
The front-runner to become the Democratic Progressive Party's presidential candidate is known as a fierce defender of Taiwan's self-governing status -- a popular stance for much of the island's electorate. Yet Lai faces a massive challenge in preparing for the big vote, if he indeed makes it that far.
