Kaohsiung mayor Han Kuo-yu is set to face his biggest political test on Saturday since he was defeated by President Tsai Ing-wen in the presidential race in January. A recall vote to remove him from office, the first of its kind in Taiwan’s history, will be held in the southern port city on June 6.

So who is Han Kuo-yu? Han was born in a military dependent’s village in what is now New Taipei City, in 1957. His father came from the central Chinese province of Henan. Han has a bachelor’s degree in English literature and a Master’s degree in East Asian Studies. His MA dissertation on cross-strait aviation talks from the perspective of China’s political warfare was published in 1988.

During his mayoral election campaign, Han referred to himself as an “old, ugly and bald vegetable vendor.” That’s because he had served as manager of the Taipei Agricultural Products Marketing Corporation for about four years. He projected the image of an average Joe who is practical, friendly and uses simple language that appeals to voters.

A member of the opposition Kuomintang (KMT), Han was elected Kaohsiung mayor in November, 2018 with 54% of the vote. It was a decisive win over the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) Chen Chi-mai, the current vice premier, who got just 45% of the vote. The resounding victory not only turned Han into a political star, it also dealt a heavy blow to the DPP, which had governed the city of Kaohsiung for 20 years.