TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Amid persistent rumors that Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) will be replaced, a majority of the public support a Cabinet reshuffle, an opinion poll revealed Friday (Jan. 13).
According to the Taiwanese Public Opinion Foundation (TPOF) survey, 27.9% favored a complete reshuffle, 22.0% a large-scale reshuffle, and 19.7% minor changes. Only 11.2% said a reshuffle was not necessary, while 19.3% said they didn’t know.
The results showed that mainstream public opinion had high hopes for a new Cabinet, TPOF Chairman Ying-lung You (游盈隆) said. Government leaders have said that any changes to the Cabinet would not be discussed until after the current session of the Legislative Yuan, which was extended until Jan. 19 to allow discussions of the budget and of a tax rebate plan.
Unconfirmed media reports have suggested former Vice President Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) might succeed Su as premier.
Since President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) assumed office in May 2016, she has had three different premiers, but the majority of Cabinet members have remained in their post for more than six years, You said. The push for a reshuffle gained strength after the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) fared poorly in the Nov. 26 local elections.
The TPOF poll was conducted by Focus Survey Research Jan. 9-11, producing 1,085 valid results with a margin of error of 2.98%.