Cabinet tenders resignation en masse

Taipei, Jan. 18 (CNA) Premier Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) and the heads of the Cabinet ministries tendered their resignation on Thursday in keeping with constitutional precedent.

Chen, who has headed up the country's top executive body since January 2023, and his Cabinet ministers had offered their resignation at a weekly Cabinet meeting, ahead of the newly-elected Legislature being seated on Feb. 1, according to Cabinet spokesman Lin Tze-luen (林子倫).

The move was in line with Constitutional Court Interpretation No. 387, which states that the premier, though appointed by the president, is accountable to the Legislature, and should hence resign along with their full Cabinet before the first session of each new Legislature.

However, it is likely to be an act of formality, given that outgoing President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) is expected to ask the Cabinet to remain in their positions in a placeholder capacity until President-elect Lai Ching-te (賴清德) takes office on May 20.

The new Legislature, in which no single political party has secured an absolute majority, will convene a new session at the start of February.

The hung Legislature will include 52 legislators from the main opposition Kuomintang, 51 from the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, eight from the upstart Taiwan People's Party, and two independents.