After days of speculation, Minister of the Interior Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺) is now confirmed to be the next vice premier, a senior government official told the Taipei Times on condition of anonymity yesterday.
The source told the Taipei Times that President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) would announce the appointment of Vice Premier Sean Chen (陳冲) to the premiership by Wednesday and that Chen would announce the list of his Cabinet members the day after Ma’s official appointment.
There has been speculation recently that Chen and Jiang would take up the premiership and vice premiership, but neither has yet confirmed that they would.
However, Chen and Jiang said that Ma has invited them to the Presidential Office for discussions.
“It’s the president’s authority to appoint the premier, and it’s the premier’s authority to name the vice premier, so it’s really not the time for them to say anything, since the president has not announced the appointment,” the unnamed official said.
Before becoming the head of the Executive Yuan’s Research, Development, and Evaluation Commission in 2008, and then the Minister of the Interior in 2009, Jiang was a professor at National Taiwan University’s department of political science.
In addition, media have speculated that Public Constructions Commission (PCC) Minister Lee Hong-yuan (李鴻源) has been tapped to replace Jiang as interior minister and that former Kaohsiung County commissioner Yang Chiu-hsing (楊秋興) would be appointed minister without portfolio.
Neither confirmed nor denied the rumors yesterday.
“I’m not denying it, but it’s just inappropriate for me to say anything at the moment because I haven’t received the final notice from my superior,” Lee told reporters when asked if he were going to be the next minister of the interior.
With a background as a civil engineer, Lee entered politics as the head of the Taiwan Provincial Government’s Hydraulic Engineering Office, then became deputy commissioner of Taipei County before becoming the PCC minister.
Yang gave a similar response.
“The [appointment] has not been confirmed yet, since I haven’t heard about the final decision. I’ll talk more if it’s been confirmed,” Yang said by telephone.
Yang, also a civil engineer, started his political career as a technician in the Kaohsiung County Government, and was eventually elected as county commissioner as a Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) member.
However, he quit the party in 2010 after failing to win the DPP’s nomination to contest the Greater Kaohsiung mayoral election and switched his support to the pan-blue camp, helping Ma in his re-election bid.
Tropical Storm Gaemi strengthened into a typhoon at 2pm yesterday, and could make landfall in Yilan County tomorrow, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. The agency was scheduled to issue a sea warning at 11:30pm yesterday, and could issue a land warning later today. Gaemi was moving north-northwest at 4kph, carrying maximum sustained winds near its center of up to 118.8kph and gusts of 154.8kph. The circumference is forecast to reach eastern Taiwan tomorrow morning, with the center making landfall in Yilan County later that night before departing from the north coast, CWA weather forecaster Kuan Shin-ping (官欣平) said yesterday. Uncertainty remains and
SEA WARNING LIKELY: The storm, named Gaemi, could become a moderate typhoon on Wednesday or Thursday, with the Taipei City Government preparing for flooding A tropical depression east of the Philippines developed into a tropical storm named Gaemi at 2pm yesterday, and was moving toward eastern Taiwan, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Gaemi could begin to affect Taiwan proper on Tuesday, lasting until Friday, and could develop into a moderate typhoon on Wednesday or Thursday, it said. A sea warning for Gaemi could be issued as early as Tuesday morning, it added. Gaemi, the third tropical storm in the Pacific Ocean this typhoon season, is projected to begin moving northwest today, and be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday or Thursday, the agency said. Today, there would likely
DISRUPTIONS: The high-speed rail is to operate as normal, while several airlines either canceled flights or announced early departures or late arrivals Schools and offices in 15 cities and counties are to be closed today due to Typhoon Gaemi, local governments announced last night. The 15 are: Taipei, New Taipei City, Taoyuan, Tainan, Keelung, Hsinchu and Kaohsiung, as well as Yilan, Hualien, Hsinchu, Miaoli, Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Lienchiang counties. People should brace for torrential rainfall brought by the storm, with its center forecast to make landfall on the east coast between tonight and tomorrow morning, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The agency issued a sea warning for the typhoon at 11:30pm on Monday, followed by a land warning at 11:30am yesterday. As of
CASUALTY: A 70-year-old woman was killed by a falling tree in Kaohsiung as the premier warned all government agencies to remain on high alert for the next 24 hours Schools and offices nationwide are to be closed for a second day today as Typhoon Gaemi crosses over the nation, bringing torrential rain and whipping winds. Gaemi was forecast to make landfall late last night. From Tuesday night, its outer band brought substantial rainfall and strong winds to the nation. As of 6:15pm last night, the typhoon’s center was 20km southeast of Hualien County, Central Weather Administration (CWA) data showed. It was moving at 19kph and had a radius of 250km. As of 3pm yesterday, one woman had died, while 58 people were injured, the Central Emergency Operation Center said. The 70-year-old