Lee Teng-hui (Chinese: 李登輝; Pinyin: Lǐ Dēnghuī; 1923-2020) was a Taiwanese-born, Hokkien-speaking politician, who served as President of the Republic of China from 1988 to 2000. Under his reign the country saw a series of democratic breakthroughs, such as the first democratic election of a new National Assembly in 1991, a new Legislative Yuan in 1992, a provincial governor and mayors of Kaohsiung and Taipei in 1994. In 1996, Lee was re-elected for a another term through a popular vote, making him the first democratically elected leader of an ethnically Chinese nation. His legacy as the president who completed Taiwan's journey towards democracy earned him the nickname of "Mr. Democracy".
He pioneered the strategy of "pragmatic diplomacy" to manage cross-strait affairs, which is largely credited as highly successful, managing to keep both Beijing and the Taiwanese electorate largely satisfied while trying to reverse Taiwan's growing isolation on the intarnational stage. He also popularised the concept of "New Taiwanese" regarding the issue of national identity.
In 1990, he convened the National Affairs Conference meant to create a more united coalition of moderates and suppress the radical and conservative forces. The venture was largely successful.
In 1991, he officially ended the Chinese Civil War, gave up the ROC's claims to Mainland China and Mongolia, and repealed the Temporary Provisions Effective During the Period of National Mobilization for Suppression of the Communist Rebellion, that could have been used as a legal basis for re-establishing martial law.
Following his stepping down in 2000, he founded the Taiwan Solidarity Union, a pan-Green party that advocated for Taiwan independence.
