Premier Chang Chun-hsiung (張俊雄) will remain in office as President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) considers rejecting the resignation of Chang's Cabinet, paving the way for the continuation of its duties until May 20, when a new president is to be inaugurated, Presidential Office spokesman David Lee (李南陽) said yesterday.
"President Chen will ask Premier Chang to stay on in order to maintain political stability in Taiwan," Lee said in response to a reporter's question.
He said Chang would decide who will remain in his Cabinet.
Lee said Chen was mulling whether to directly return the joint resignation letter from Chang or to abide by the constitutional method of reappointing Chang as premier.
Chang and the Cabinet resigned on Thursday in line with the practice before a newly elected legislature is convened, but this would be reversed if the mass resignation were rejected.
The new legislature, elected on Jan. 12, will open its inaugural session on Feb. 1.
The constitutional convention was established by an October 1995 constitutional interpretation, which said that the practice was based on the rationale that the executive shall be responsible to the legislature.
The premier's resignation has been discussed in light of a 1997 Constitutional amendment that gives the president the power to choose the premier without the consent of the legislature.
Although the amendment stipulates that a premier is not required to resign when a new legislature is elected, all former premiers have followed convention and tendered their resignations.
Establishing a new constitutional convention, as Chen suggested, would eliminate the problem of a Cabinet forming twice in about three months when the four-year-term legislature is sworn in on Feb. 1 and the four-year-term president is inaugurated on May 20.
Approached by the media to comment on the matter, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) said that if Chang stayed on as premier he would be shouldering a painful responsibility rather than enjoying power.
At a separate setting yesterday,DPP caucus whip Wang Tuoh (
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