Ma resigns as KMT chief; names new cabinet boss

Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou yesterday named a new cabinet head, as he bowed out as chairman of the ruling Kuomintang.

Vice-Premier Mao Chi-kuo will replace Dr Jiang Yi-huah as the new cabinet head after Jiang led some 80 officials in a mass resignation on Monday to take responsibility for the KMT's landslide defeat in local elections at the weekend, the Presidential Office said.

"As Mao Chi-kuo has been vice-premier for one year and 10 months and is familiar with cabinet affairs, his appointment to head the cabinet will facilitate a seamless succession of the old and new cabinet," presidential spokeswoman Ma Wei-kuo said.

Mao, 66, well versed in transportation and telecommunications affairs, said yesterday he had decided to take over the job and would closely work with local governments to address the needs of the public.

Mao is expected to form the fifth cabinet under the Ma administration in a bid to avert any political chaos arising after the KMT suffered its worst electoral setback since coming to power in 1949.

"At this time, it is highly necessary for the KMT to unite in order to ensure political stability," said Kao Yu-jen, former speaker of the defunct Taiwan Provincial Assembly. Prominent KMT members are expected to battle for the party's top post following Ma's resignation.