TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) asked Premier Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) to stay on in a caretaking capacity after he tendered the Cabinet’s resignation earlier Thursday (Jan. 18).

According to custom, the Cabinet resigns between legislative elections and the swearing-in of the new Legislative Yuan scheduled for Feb. 1. The inauguration of a new president on May 20 can trigger more thorough Cabinet changes.

The Presidential Office said Chen had shown stable and resilient leadership in helping the country recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, per Radio Taiwan International. Chen, 72, was appointed premier in January 2023.

The government is likely to face a more unpredictable situation from Feb. 1, as the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lost its absolute majority at the Legislative Yuan. The opposition Kuomintang (KMT) will have 52 seats, one more than the DPP, with the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) occupying eight seats and independents two.

As to a new premier when Lai Ching-te (賴清德) is inaugurated as president, the names being circulated are Presidential Office Secretary-General Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) and former Culture Minister Cheng Li-chun (鄭麗君).