Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) heavyweight Vincent Siew (蕭萬長) confirmed yesterday that he has resigned as party vice chairman but denied rumors that he would be named to head the Straits Exchange Foundation.
"Vincent Siew's resignation was decided a long time ago. We are grateful to Siew for the service and contributions he has made to the party over the past five years," KMT Chairman Lien Chan (連戰) said at the party's Taipei headquarters yesterday morning.
Liens' acceptance of Siew's resignation was confirmed in the afternoon by party spokeswoman Cheng Li-wen (鄭麗文).
Legislative Speaker and fellow KMT Vice Chairman Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) will be taking over Siew's duties as senior vice chairman, Cheng said.
Siew released a statement late Wednesday night saying that he was stepping down in the interest of facilitating Lien's call for a generational handover of power within the party and the party's efforts to reduce its staff.
Lien has said previously -- when asked if he was consider running for re-election as chairman in May -- that he believed it was time to hand over the leadership to the new generation of party members.
Siew yesterday denied that he was considering taking the foundation job, which has been vacant since Koo Chen-fu (辜振甫) died earlier this year.
"I have no interest in being the foundation chairman, and the Democratic Progressive Party administration has not asked me about it," Siew said.
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