Premier Chang Chun-hsiung (張俊雄) will continue to lead the government following the resignation of the Cabinet, President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) said yesterday, adding that he would discuss the new Cabinet with Democratic Progressive Party presidential candidate Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) after he returns home from Central America.
Chen told reporters in Saint Lucia that he would reappoint Chang as premier if nothing unusual happened. Chang had said he would lead the Cabinet to resign on Jan. 28, as per custom.
Council of Hakka Affairs Deputy Minister Chiu Yi-ying (邱議瑩) and Sports Affairs Council Deputy Chairman Tsai Huang-liang (蔡煌瑯) -- who were elected as legislators-at-large -- will have to resign their positions.
PHOTO: CHEN TSE-MING, TAIPEI TIMES
Chen said that he would discuss the new appointments with Hsieh as soon as he returns from his trip.
Chen dismissed claims that he and Hsieh had a different campaign strategy, saying they saw eye to eye on the notion that a Taiwan-centered consciousness should not be abandoned.
Chen said there is no such thing as a "middle way" and that the path he has adopted is that of Taiwan-centered consciousness and social justice, adding that he believed Hsieh would continue down the same road.
"The path of Taiwan-centered consciousness is the mainstream and the correct one to take," he said.
"There is nothing wrong with that. We must insist on doing the right thing and going down the right path. Don't ever abandon it simply because we lost the [legislative] elections," he said.
Chen said many factors had contributed to the party's defeat in the legislative elections and that as party chairman he should be held fully responsible.
Saying he did not want to see party members dwell on the issue of who should be held responsible for the defeat, Chen urged the party to focus on the presidential election in March. It is the responsibility of Hsieh and all party members to help the party win the March election, he said.
Chen, who resigned as party chairman following the party's defeat, said Hsieh would be the "leading actor" during the electoral campaign and would dictate campaign strategy.
While the referendum seeking to reclaim Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) stolen assets failed on Saturday, Chen said he was optimistic about the referendum on joining the UN under the name "Taiwan," which will be held concurrently with the March election.
Chen said the two referendums proposed by the DPP and the KMT were both meant to safeguard the nation's sovereignty.
In an interview with Formosa TV last night, Hsieh said he would appoint a chief executive officer (CEO) from the business world as premier if elected president in March.
That person would have to be acceptable to the KMT, he said.
"A business CEO knows about time, cost, the market and consumers, and thus would run the government in an efficient way," he said.
Responding to a media report that interpreted some of his comments as meaning that, given the KMT-dominated legislature, he would "passively" exercise his presidential powers, Hsieh said he would rather characterize his comment as meaning that he would seek "reconciliation and co-existence."
Hsieh said he would not "hand over" to the KMT the power to form a cabinet.
"If the president gives up the power to form a cabinet unconditionally, he will become a titular president," he said.
In related news, the KMT Central Standing Committee yesterday nominated incumbent Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (
The party will accept the registrations of candidates for deputy speaker today and tomorrow before it holds a coordination meeting on Saturday, KMT Chairman Wu Poh-hsiung (吳伯雄) told a press conference.
The KMT caucus will hold a straw poll if the coordination fails, he said, adding that the committee would finalize the nomination next Wednesday.
Asked for comment, Wang said he would maintain impartiality during the nomination process, adding that anyone who would like to enter the competition should be able to assist the speaker.
The new legislature will hold the election for speaker after it convenes a new session on Feb. 1.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY SHIH HSIU-CHUAN AND FLORA WANG
STATS: Taiwan’s average life expectancy of 80.77 years was lower than that of Japan, Singapore and South Korea, but higher than in China, Malaysia and Indonesia Taiwan’s average life expectancy last year increased to 80.77 years, but was still not back to its pre-COVID-19 pandemic peak of 81.32 years in 2020, the Ministry of the Interior said yesterday. The average life expectancy last year increased the 0.54 years from 2023, the ministry said in a statement. For men and women, the average life expectancy last year was 77.42 years and 84.30 years respectively, up 0.48 years and 0.56 years from the previous year. Taiwan’s average life expectancy peaked at 81.32 years in 2020, as the nation was relatively unaffected by the pandemic that year. The metric
Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp. (THSRC) plans to ease strained capacity during peak hours by introducing new fare rules restricting passengers traveling without reserved seats in 2026, company Chairman Shih Che (史哲) said Wednesday. THSRC needs to tackle its capacity issue because there have been several occasions where passengers holding tickets with reserved seats did not make it onto their train in stations packed with individuals traveling without a reserved seat, Shih told reporters in a joint interview in Taipei. Non-reserved seats allow travelers maximum flexibility, but it has led to issues relating to quality of service and safety concerns, especially during
A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck Chiayi County at 4:37pm today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 36.3km southeast of Chiayi County Hall at a depth of 10.4km, CWA data showed. There were no immediate reports of damage resulting from the quake. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Chiayi County, Tainan and Kaohsiung on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Chiayi City and Yunlin County, while it was measured as 2 in Pingtung, Taitung, Hualien, Changhua, Nantou and Penghu counties, the data
The Supreme Court today rejected an appeal filed by former Air Force officer Shih Chun-cheng (史濬程), convicted of Chinese Communist Party (CCP) espionage, finalizing his sentence at two years and two months for contravening the National Security Act (國家安全法). His other ruling, a ten-month sentence for an additional contravention, was meanwhile overturned and sent to the Taichung branch of the High Court for retrial, the Supreme Court said today. Prosecutors have been notified as Shih is considered a flight risk. Shih was recruited by Chinese Communist Party (CCP) intelligence officials after his retirement in 2008 and appointed as a supervisor