Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) yesterday said he and all other members of the Cabinet would resign to help President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) appoint a new team to implement her policies.
Su made the announcement on Facebook after an hour-long meeting with the president following the legislature’s approval of the government’s general budget for this fiscal year of NT$2.69 trillion (US$88.6 billion).
The move came after the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) defeats in the local elections on Nov. 26 last year and Tsai’s resignation as DPP chairperson in their wake.
Photo: Lo Pei-te, Taipei Times
Prior to the meeting with Tsai, Su visited the legislature and thanked lawmakers for passing the budget, in line with past practice after the approval of an annual general budget.
Su, who became premier in 2019 after the DPP’s losses in local elections the previous year, said that “over the past four years, serving the country and the public has been an honor.”
Su said he tendered his resignation to the president immediately after the election defeats in November, but Tsai at the time asked him to stay on until the budget has been passed.
He agreed with Tsai that his immediate departure would have caused a delay to budget negotiations, Su said.
However, now it is time to lead the Cabinet in stepping down, Su said, adding that it would put Tsai in a better position to implement existing and new policies.
Presidential Office spokesman Xavier Chang (張惇涵) said Tsai thanked Su for his hard work over the past four years.
The government would work to appoint a new Cabinet over the Lunar New Year holiday, Chang said.
The government would review candidates and make appointments as soon as possible to ensure that government affairs and policy implementation are not delayed, Chang added.
Additional reporting by Wu Su-wei, Hsieh Chun-lin and CNA
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