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Taiwan has announced a minor cabinet shake-up to free up the vice-premier, who will run in the year-end municipal elections as a candidate of the ruling Kuomintang.  
Eric Chu Li-luan submitted his resignation yesterday to Premier Wu Den-yih as the vice-chief of the cabinet so he can concentrate on running for mayor of Xinbei,  one of five special municipality elections in December that are viewed as a prelude to the 2012 presidential poll.
Xinbei will be the new name of Taipei county after the elections.
Chu, seen as a 48-year-old rising political star who could be one of President Ma Ying-jeou's  successors, was handed the mission to increase the KMT's chances in the five special municipality elections.
Known for his high efficiency, Chu, a former Taoyuan county  magistrate before becoming vice-premier eight months ago, was asked to run for mayor after former premier Su Tseng-chang  of the Democratic Progressive Party had declared his bid in March to run against Taipei Mayor Hau Long-bin  of the KMT in his bid for re-election.
The December polls in the five key constituencies - Taipei city, Taipei county (Xinbei), Taichung,  Tainan and Kaohsiung - are crucial, as the party that wins the majority would likely enjoy a big boost in the presidential poll in 2012.
Taiwanese media and political pundits said that if Chu was able to win the race, it would further increase his chances as the successor of mainland-friendly Ma, who was expected to run for a second term in 2012.
'I will do all I can to win support of the residents of Xinbei,' Chu said yesterday after announcing his resignation. Ma said he also saw the December polls as 'the prelude to the 2012 presidential elections'.
Chu would be replaced by Financial Supervisory Commission chairman Sean Chen  as the deputy cabinet chief, Wu said. 'A changeover ceremony will be held at 9am on Monday,' he said, adding he would also announce several other new ministerial appointments at that time. This would be the second reshuffle under Ma's administration.
Chen Yuh-chang, chairman of the First Financial Holding Co,  would replace Sean Chen as the island's top financial regulator, Wu said.
Sean Chen, 60, well versed in financial and banking affairs, was reportedly chosen due to his expertise and familiarity with a semi-free-trade pact Ma hopes to sign with Beijing next month. He was behind the signing of a cross-strait financial memorandum of understanding with the mainland in November.
Ma and Wu said yesterday that the signing of the pact would be one of the top priorities of the new cabinet.



Taiwan cabinet shake-up as vice-premier quits