Daunting tasks await new Taiwanese premier Jiang Yi-huah
Critics doubt the Harvard graduate, who has had a whirlwind rise to the top, is up to the task of reviving the economy and Ma's fortunes
Taiwan's incoming premier, Dr Jiang Yi-huah, faces an uphill battle to revive the island's sluggish economy and restore public trust in the administration of President Ma Ying-jeou, whose popularity is in tatters despite a cabinet reshuffle that's in the works.
Critics are already questioning whether Jiang, 53, will be able to hold on to the post longer than his predecessor, Sean Chen, who submitted his resignation to Ma late last month for "health reasons" after heading the cabinet for a year.
Chen's cabinet resigned yesterday and the new cabinet, led by Jiang, will be sworn in after the Lunar New Year holiday.
Local media have speculated that the real reason for Chen's resignation was his failure to adequately address the island's economic woes, which have taken a toll on Ma's popularity. The president's approval rating slipped to 3 per cent last year, and polls since showed an increase to just 14 per cent.
With the new cabinet set to be inaugurated on February 18, doubts remain as to whether Jiang is capable of heading the administration.
Considered a close confidant of Ma, Jiang is the island's youngest premier in 50 years. With a PhD from Yale, Jiang taught political science at National Taiwan University before being named the island's research head in 2008, the interior minister in 2009 and vice-premier last year.
Survey results show that the public is not familiar with Jiang, given his limited political and government experience