EASY RIDE?When asked why he took the role, the former vice premier said that the DPP had promised it would not give Cabinet members a tough time
Taipei Times
Date: Jan 26, 2016
By: Stacy Hsu / Staff reporter
President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday appointed Vice Premier Simon
Vice Premier Simon Chang, second left, announces at the Executive Yuan in Taipei yesterday that he is to take over as premier of the new caretaker government, while National Development Council Minister Woody Duh, right, is to become the new vice premier. Photo: CNA
Chang (張善政) as the new premier after Ma signed off on outgoing Premier Mao Chi-kuo’s (毛治國) resignation.
“Premier Mao has led his Cabinet members to resign en masse. After thorough consideration, President Ma has decided to sign off on Mao’s resignation and appoint Chang as his successor,” Presidential Office spokesman Charles Chen (陳以信) said in a statement yesterday.
Chen said that while it is the president’s mandate to appoint a premier without the legislature’s approval, Ma is obligated by a consensus reached between the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) when an amendment to the Constitution was passed in 1997 to respect the majority party in the legislature and appoint a premier it accepts to prevent the government from running idle.
To adhere to this principle, Chen said Ma tried to contact DPP Chairperson and president-elect Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday to discuss Mao’s successor, but Tsai was occupied with other matters. [FULL STORY]
