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Cosplayer, Activist Lai Pin-yu Wins Seat at Taiwan Election
posted on by Kim Morrissy
Taiwanese youth activist Lai Pin-yu won a legislative seat at Taiwan's general election on Saturday, representing the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). When announcing her win on Facebook, she posted a photo of herself cosplaying as Sailor Mars from the Sailor Moon anime series, along with the message: "Hello, friends. I am Lai Pin-yu, lawmaker of New Taipei City's 12th District. Please advise me for the next four years."
Lai first gained attention as an activist during the Sunflower Student Movement of 2014, protesting the Cross-Strait Service Trade Agreement with China. She joined politics in September 2019, campaigning on a platform calling for Taiwan's independence and opposing unification with China. During the election campaign, she performed speeches while dressed as Evangelion's Asuka. The 27-year-old has become the youngest member of the Legislative Yuan.
Her most recent Facebook update shows a photo of herself celebrating with a reaction image of Yu-Gi-Oh!'s Joey Wheeler.
Lai defeated her closest rival in the race, former Taipei City Deputy Mayor Lee Yong-ping of the Kuomintang by 2,780 votes. She secured a total of 84,393 votes.
Sources: Taiwan News (Keoni Everington), The Guardian (Lily Kuo)
