TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The Cabinet will tender its resignation after the election according to political custom, but will continue to work on education and economic issues, Premier Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) said Friday (Jan. 12).
Voters will choose a new president and vice president as well as 113 legislators Saturday (Jan. 13). The swearing-in of the new Legislative Yuan, scheduled for Feb. 1, usually sees changes to the Cabinet lineup, while the new president can also reshuffle the government when they take office May 20.
Chen, 72, told the Liberty Times that once the new Legislative Yuan was formed, he would lead the incumbent Cabinet in tendering its resignation. He was appointed premier in January last year.
However, the election would not mean that the government was halting its work, he added. Economic development, including cuts in carbon emissions, and education would continue as the focus of Cabinet policy, per CNA.
He promised to expand the care for children from birth to the age of 6, all the way to 22-year-olds. The plans also included free vocational high school education, subsidies of NT$35,000 (US$1,125) a year for studies at private colleges, and subsidies helping university students pay for accommodation.