With the election of a new president yesterday, the Cabinet will freeze all personnel changes until the presidential inauguration on May 20, Premier Chang Chun-hsiung (張俊雄) said yesterday.
The freeze will not only affect the appointment and transfer of civil servants, but will also cover political appointees as well as chairmen and board directors of state-owned enterprises, Chang said, after casting his vote at a polling station in Taipei.
Chang made the remarks in response to questions about the Cabinet's preparation for a transition of power.
PHOTO: WANG MIN-WEI, TAIPEI TIMES
Chang said the Cabinet would respect the public's choice and make sure that power was transferred peacefully to the new president.
He said that a peaceful poll would demonstrate the maturity of Taiwan's democracy and is something that Taiwanese should take pride in.
President Chen Shui-bian (
Presidential Office staffers said yesterday that Chen had asked Secretary-General Yeh Chu-lan (
Meanwhile, the Ministry of National Defense yesterday pledged loyalty to the new president-elect.
"I think the minister of defense made his intentions loud and clear when he spoke before the legislature a couple days ago," ministry spokeswoman Lisa Chi (
Chi repeated Minister of National Defense Michael Tsai's (
"The election has been incident free, so it isn't necessary for the minister make the pledge at the moment," she said.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY JIMMY CHUANG
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