Taiwan could be set to elect its first female leader next January after the island’s Deputy Legislative Speaker Hung Hsiu-chu looked poised to represent the ruling Kuomintang (KMT) for the 2016 presidential race.

She will run against the chairwoman of the opposition Democratic Progressive Party, Tsai Ing-wen, once her nomination is approved by the party congress next month.

The outspoken Hung, whose fiery temperament at the legislature has won her the nickname “Little Hot Pepper”, does not seem to fit the stereotype of her KMT predecessors.

But some analysts say the 67-year-old former school teacher may be the party’s best chance to win the presidency next January.

“At the start of the primary, she has worked very hard and proposed clear-cut national development policies, including cross-strait relations, energy, pro-death penalty, and economic planning,” said Professor Chang Ya-chung from National Taiwan University. “She has the most specific policies among all presidential candidates.”