TAIPEI, Feb. 12-- Su Tseng-chang, former chairman of the opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), announced on Thursday that he will not run in the Taiwan leadership election in 2016, according to media reports on Thursday.

Su, 67, was the island's vice leader candidate representing DPP in 2008, running with Frank Hsieh, but lost the campaign to Kuomintang's duo of Ma Ying-jeou and Vincent Siew, ending DPP's eight-year rule by Chen Shui-bian.

A former head of the island's executive body, Su lost an inner-DPP nomination for the Taiwan leadership election to Tsai Ing-wen in 2012. Tsai, however, failed to unseat incumbent Ma in her first leadership campaign that year.

The DPP began its nominating candidates for the election on Thursday. Those who want to register for the party primary can apply until Feb. 16.