Where the goal was pursued and not reached
8 goals declared by 6 people. The attempt is on the record and so is the shortfall; the reasons are usually contested and the analysis says by whom. The status is the editors' reading of the record, not a verdict on the person; the words it starts from are quoted and linked underneath each one.
8 of 8 carry a dated source for the outcome itself. The rest are marked, because a status with nothing to click through to is our word and nothing more.
Founder, Apple Daily; pro-democracy media tycoon
Defend Hong Kong's freedoms through media
Apple Daily's mission until its 2021 closure under NSL pressure.
declared 2026-02-09
What they said they would do
The declaration has not been tied to a sourced statement yet.
What the record shows happened
2026-02-09ActionSentenced to 20 years in prison on two counts of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces and one count of publishing seditious materials.
Landmark national security trial ending a nearly five-year legal saga.
Largest NSL sentence to date; drew statements from US, UK, EU and UN human rights chief.
Former First Lady of South Korea (wife of Yoon Suk Yeol)
Stay out of politics as first lady
2021 pledge to live faithfully as a wife and reflect quietly; Yoon abolished the formal first-lady office.
declared 2021-12-26
What they said they would do
2021-12-26SpeechI inflated my career to look good and wrote it (resumes) wrong. I shouldn't have done that, but looking back, it was a shame. Even if my husband becomes president, I will live faithfully as a wife.
Public apology during Yoon's presidential campaign over padded resumes submitted for university teaching posts.
What the record shows happened
2026-01-28ActionSeoul Central District Court sentenced her to one year and eight months in prison for accepting Unification Church bribes; cleared her of stock-price manipulation and Political Funds Act charges in that trial.
Bribes/gifts alleged to total at least ~$200,000 including Chanel bags and a diamond necklace; further cases remained.
The 2021 pledge was to live quietly as a spouse; the Seoul Central District Court's January 2026 sentence turned on conduct in office. Her side maintains the prosecutions were politically driven, and the appeal is hers to make.
Citizen journalist; former lawyer
Document reality independent of official narratives
Wuhan citizen journalism 2020.
declared 2020-05-01
What they said they would do
2025-09-21PublicationPosted first-hand accounts from the central city of Wuhan on the early spread of coronavirus.
Original 2020 imprisonment background in sentencing coverage.
What the record shows happened
2025-09-21ActionSentenced on Friday to four more years in prison on a charge of 'picking quarrels and provoking trouble'.
Second sentence after 2024 release and August rearrest.
She kept publishing after her first term and was sentenced again in September 2025. Beijing's position is that this is a public-order offence; press-freedom groups call it punishment for the reporting itself.
Former Daegu mayor; retired conservative heavyweight
Establish a Seventh Republic
Constitutional restructuring including abolishing the Constitutional Court and relocating the presidential office to Cheong Wa Dae.
declared 2025-04-15
What they said they would do
2025-04-15SpeechI will start the constitutional reform immediately after I take office by launching a presidential task force for the reform. Criticized the Constitutional Court for "losing political neutrality" and pledged to abolish it, transferring functions to a Supreme Court division; also pledged to move the presidential office back to Cheong Wa Dae.
Policy vision event at campaign office in Seoul one day after announcing his bid.
What the record shows happened
2025-04-29Social postAlthough I regret not being able to usher in the era of an "advanced great nation" of the Seventh Republic, I believe my juniors will do well. (Also: "I will now return to being a citizen.")
Facebook post after primary defeat, hinting at leaving the PPP as a factionless outsider.
He named the unrealised goal himself on the way out: the "advanced great nation" of the Seventh Republic was the thing he regretted not delivering.
Former Daegu mayor; retired conservative heavyweight
Win the presidency (third bid)
2025 PPP primary run framed as the final mission of a 30-year career; eliminated in second round, then retired.
declared 2025-04-29
What they said they would do
2025-04-29SpeechMy role in this presidential race ends here. I thank the people and party members who supported me over the past 30 years. (Would return as an ordinary citizen "someone people can meet freely in the markets and on the streets.")
Announced retirement after elimination in the PPP second-round primary; Kim Moon-soo and Han Dong-hoon advanced.
What the record shows happened
2025-04-29SpeechMy role in this presidential race ends here. I thank the people and party members who supported me over the past 30 years. (Would return as an ordinary citizen "someone people can meet freely in the markets and on the streets.")
Announced retirement after elimination in the PPP second-round primary; Kim Moon-soo and Han Dong-hoon advanced.
Former Leader of the New Democratic Party
Deliver universal pharmacare within four years
Expand coverage from diabetes medications and contraceptives to a full universal public drug plan by the end of a four-year mandate.
declared 2025-04-16
What they said they would do
2025-04-16SpeechWe will get the job done, putting in place a universal program within four years.
2025 NDP campaign commitment on universal pharmacare, expanding from diabetes drugs and contraceptives toward full coverage; Globe and Mail also covered Singh's pharmacare expansion fight.
What the record shows happened
2025-04-28SpeechSingh said he would be stepping down as soon as an interim leader could be appointed.
Factual paraphrase of Singh's election-night resignation announcement after the NDP was projected below the 12-seat official-party threshold and he trailed in Burnaby Central.
The four-year timeline depended on the balance of power the NDP lost in April 2025; Singh stood down after the result.
Former Leader of the New Democratic Party
Offer CMHC low-interest public-backed mortgages
Let the housing corporation provide below-bank fixed-term mortgages to qualifying first-time buyers.
declared 2025-04-25
What they said they would do
2025-03-30SpeechLarge corporations have been receiving low-interest loans from the federal government — Liberals and Conservatives have been giving them low-interest loans for a long time. But they haven't been helping our first-time homebuyer buy their home. I think that's wrong.
Port Moody, B.C. campaign stop pledging CMHC low-interest public-backed mortgages for first-time buyers.
NDP housing contrast with Liberal and Conservative GST-cut offers.
What the record shows happened
2025-04-28SpeechSingh said he would be stepping down as soon as an interim leader could be appointed.
Factual paraphrase of Singh's election-night resignation announcement after the NDP was projected below the 12-seat official-party threshold and he trailed in Burnaby Central.
The proposal never reached legislation: the NDP lost its seats and its leverage in the April 2025 election, and Singh stood down.
Pro-democracy activist; former Demosisto leader
Advance democratic reform in Hong Kong
Career from Umbrella Movement through 2020 primary.
declared 2024-11-19
What they said they would do
The declaration has not been tied to a sourced statement yet.
What the record shows happened
2024-11-19ActionWong was sentenced to four years and eight months in jail.
Sentencing of 45 pro-democracy figures in NSL subversion case.
