Taiwan premier quits as Tsai seeks reset ahead of elections

Bloomberg

The resignation of Taiwan’s premier sets
the stage for a broader reshuffle and provides President Tsai Ing-wen a chance to raise
her poll numbers ahead of local elections
next year.
Premier Lin Chuan, who had been seen as Tsai’s chief economic policy architect, said on Monday he told the president on Sunday he would resign after passing key pieces of the administration’s agenda. Lin, 65, said he had never planned to stay on and wanted to give his successor time to prepare before local elections late next year.
“We couldn’t wait until the end of 2018 to make the change,” Lin said. “This way the new premier has a chance to prove themselves.” Tsai’s office said in a text message that she had accepted Lin’s resignation and would discuss the premier’s post at an 11:30 am news conference on Tuesday. “Lin has created a solid foundation for the success of the new cabinet,” the Presidential Office said. Since Taiwan’s premier appoints most of its cabinet ministers, Lin’s resignation was expected to trigger a full reshuffle. The Central News Agency reported that Tainan city Mayor William Lai was expected to be Lin’s successor.
Tsai has seen her approval rating sink below 30 percent amid tensions with China and a series of difficult policy fights after her Democratic Progressive Party secured control over the executive and legislative branches last year. The DPP, which promised to revamp the island’s sluggish economy and reduce its dependence on China, faces its first test in local elections in late 2018.
The benchmark Taiex gauge slipped 0.2 percent to 10,569.87 on Monday amid regional concern over US President Donald Trump’s potential response to North Korea’s weapons development.
The Taiwanese dollar gained 0.2 percent to NT$30.105 against the US dollar, the strongest in almost three months.

Leave a Reply

Send this to a friend