Taiwanese Premier Su Tseng-chang and his team have submitted their resignations to pave the way for a new cabinet, which is expected to be formed after the Lunar New Year holiday. In a Facebook post on Wednesday, Su said that he had offered his resignation to President Tsai Ing-wen following the defeat of their Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in local elections, but was asked by Tsai to stay on. “I will lead the cabinet to resign en masse to facilitate the president to start a new political era,” Su said, adding that he called for Tsai to quickly appoint a new premier. Taiwan elections: what do KMT’s gains mean for the 2024 presidential race? Su said he had decided to remain in his post to help win approval for the next general government budget, despite receiving humiliating criticism that he was lingering. “Now the budget proposal has been passed … I have asked to resign again as head of the cabinet to usher in a new era of administration,” he said. Tsai’s spokesman, Xavier Chang, confirmed that Su had tendered his resignation on Wednesday, and that the president thanked him for his hard work over the last four years, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic. “In the coming days, the ruling authorities will start the adjustment of the cabinet during the Lunar New Year holiday, and we will report to the people here if there is any final decision,” Chang said. Su’s resignation came after the ruling DPP suffered a major electoral setback in November during local polls as voters registered their disappointment in the performance of the DPP government. US ‘will pressure Taiwan’ to reduce reliance on mainland China, observer says Su, 75, said he had accomplished various missions during his four years as premier, including changes to extend the mandatory military service for conscripts to one year from four months, as Taiwan attempts to shore up its defences. So far, there has been no immediate word on Su’s replacement. Local news media reports speculated that Tsai might pick former vice-president Chen Chien-jen as the new head of the cabinet, but Chen told reporters that he had not been consulted by Tsai. Su is the longest-serving premier since Taiwan allowed direct elections in 1996. His resignation came after the DPP elected the current vice-president William Lai as the new party chief after Tsai quit the post to take responsibility for the party’s recent defeat.