Examination Yuan nominees expected to be announced Friday

Taipei, May 30 (CNA) The Presidential Office is expected to announce nominees to lead the Examination Yuan on Friday, the first such nomination to be made by President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) since he took office on May 20, a source familiar with the matter said Thursday.

Incumbent Examination Yuan Vice President Chou Hung-hsien (周弘憲) is set to be nominated to replace current Examination Yuan President Huang Jong-tsun (黃榮村), who took up the job in September 2020, according to the source.

Chou, 70, a licensed lawyer, has been working in the Examination Yuan and the Executive Yuan over the past 16 years, serving in various positions such as director-general of personnel.

Meanwhile, former Minister of Examination Hsu Shu-hsiang (許舒翔), who just left the office on May 20, is to be nominated to take over Chou's current post, the source said.

Hsu, 63, first took the deputy minister post in 2016, before being appointed as the minister in 2019.

The Examination Yuan is one of the five branches of the government, and is responsible for national examinations, the civil servant qualification screening, protection, bereavement compensation, and retirement, as well as evaluation and salaries, its official website said.

The nomination would also include seven Examination Yuan members -- the minimum required by the law -- to be announced by Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) during a Presidential Office news conference, according to the source.