Premier Mao Chi-kuo (毛治國) yesterday said the Cabinet, under his leadership, was resigning en masse, even though President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) said earlier in the day that he would not accept the resignation at this time.
Mao, who was appointed premier in late 2014, following the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) crushing defeat in local government elections, walked out of a special Cabinet meeting yesterday without taking questions.
Mao’s resignation came after the KMT lost both the presidential and legislative elections on Saturday, a matter of course in Taiwan when a ruling party loses a major election.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
Vice Premier Simon Chang (張善政) said that Mao is to take some time off, and Chang is to lead the Cabinet and other ministers until Ma decides whether to accept the Cabinet’s resignation.
Before Mao convened the special meeting, Ma went to Mao’s residence but did not find him there. Ma left after asking Mao’s wife to convey a message asking Mao to stay on.
The KMT offered to allow the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to form a Cabinet before its chairperson, president-elect Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), is sworn in on May 20, but the proposal appears to have been shot down.
In a post-election news conference late on Saturday, Tsai said that she would leave the issue of letting the party that holds the legislative majority form a Cabinet to constitutional procedure.
Taiwan’s Constitution does not allow for a Cabinet and a head of state from different parties.
Ma, whose second presidential term ends on May 20, yesterday said he is asking Tsai to reconsider her decision.
Meeting former deputy US secretary of state William Burns, Ma said it is necessary for the DPP to form a new Cabinet soon.
Meanwhile, Presidential Office spokesman Charles Chen (陳以信) yesterday said that Ma directed Presidential Office Secretary-General Tseng Yung-chuan (曾永權) to form a task force to prepare for the political transition.
The task force is to assign the transfer to a transition team designated by Tsai in accordance with related laws and regulations and based on the two previous power transitions in Taiwan, Chen said.
Tseng convened a meeting yesterday morning to begin preparations for the third transfer of power in Taiwan’s democratic history, Chen added.
The task force was formed to coordinate with the incoming administration to ensure a smooth transition of power in the four-month period between the election and the inauguration of the new president on May 20.
The Ministry of the Interior (MOI) is to tighten rules for candidates running for public office, requiring them to declare that they do not hold a Chinese household registration or passport, and that they possess no other foreign citizenship. The requirement was set out in a draft amendment to the Enforcement Rules of the Public Officials Election and Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法 ) released by the ministry on Thursday. Under the proposal, candidates would need to make the declaration when submitting their registration forms, which would be published in the official election bulletin. The move follows the removal of several elected officials who were
FOUR DESIGNATED AREAS: Notices were issued for live-fire exercises in waters south and northwest of Penghu, northeast of Keelung and west of Kaohsiung, they said The military is planning three major annual exercises across the army, navy and air force this month, with the navy’s “Hai Chiang” (海強, “Sea Strong”) drills running from today through Thursday, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday. The Hai Chiang exercise, which is to take place in waters surrounding Taiwan, would feature P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft and S-70C anti-submarine helicopters, the ministry said, adding that the drills aim to bolster the nation’s offshore defensive capabilities. China has intensified military and psychological pressure against Taiwan, repeatedly sending warplanes and vessels into areas near the nation’s air defense identification zone and across
SENATE RECOMMENDATION: The National Defense Authorization Act encourages the US secretary of defense to invite Taiwan’s navy to participate in the exercises in Hawaii The US Senate on Thursday last week passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2026, which strongly encourages the US secretary of defense to invite Taiwan’s naval forces to participate in the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise, as well as allocating military aid of US$1 billion for Taiwan. The bill, which authorizes appropriations for the military activities of the US Department of Defense, military construction and other purposes, passed with 77 votes in support and 20 against. While the NDAA authorizes about US$925 billion of defense spending, the Central News Agency yesterday reported that an aide of US
NATIONAL DAY: The ‘Taiwan Dome’ would form the centerpiece of new efforts to bolster air defense and be modeled after Israel’s ‘Iron Dome,’ sources said President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday pledged to strengthen the nation’s air defense capabilities and build a “T-Dome” system to create a safety net against growing military threats from China. “We will accelerate our building of the T-Dome, establish a rigorous air defense system in Taiwan with multi-layered defense, high-level detection and effective interception, and weave a safety net for Taiwan to protect the lives and property of citizens,” he said in his National Day address. In his keynote address marking the Republic of China’s (ROC) 114th anniversary, Lai said the lessons of World War II have taught nations worldwide “to ensure that