Presidential election 2008: Reaction: No staffing change during transition period: premier

A military bomb squad inspects the stage outside Democratic Progressive Party presidential candidate Frank Hsieh's election headquarters before voting started yesterday. PHOTO: WANG MIN-WEI, TAIPEI TIMES

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.

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 (陳水扁), who cast his vote at another polling station in Taipei, expressed hope that the new president would lead the country down the right path and bring an end to the pro-Chen and anti-Chen struggle that had wracked the country in the past eight years.

Presidential Office staffers said yesterday that Chen had asked Secretary-General Yeh Chu-lan (葉菊蘭) to form a task force to prepare for the handover of power and ensure a peaceful transition.

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 (池玉蘭) told reporters.

Chi repeated Minister of National Defense Michael Tsai's (蔡明憲) statement from a few days earlier, adding that the minister would make the pledge to the new president on behalf of the military at the appropriate time.

"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