TAIPEI – Taiwan’s President-elect Lai Ching-te appointed Mr Cho Jung-tai, a former chairman of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), to be his premier on April 10, with appointments for other roles such as foreign minister expected to be announced soon.

The new premier and his Cabinet will not assume their roles until Mr Lai is inaugurated on May 20.

Under Taiwan’s system of government, the president appoints the premier, who then appoints Cabinet members with final approval from the president.

It is the Cabinet that enacts policy and proposes legislation.

Mr Cho told reporters that he would announce his Cabinet members soon, adding that he would reach across party lines in doing so.

“I hope this active, innovative... Cabinet will as in the past uphold the spirit of a great democratic alliance, using people based on their talents without distinction to party affiliations and proactively training a younger generation,” Mr Cho added.

Taiwan media has reported that National Security Council secretary-general Wellington Koo, a lawyer by training, would likely take over as defence minister from Mr Chiu Kuo-cheng, a former army commander.

Mr Joseph Wu, who is now Foreign Minister, will likely succeed Mr Koo as head of the National Security Council, according to media reports.

The National Security Bureau’s director-general Tsai Ming-yen, who had previously served as Taiwan’s de facto ambassador to the European Union, will stay on as head of the intelligence agency, the reports added.

Mr Lai, who is the current Vice-President, won the presidential election in January, but the DPP lost its majority in Parliament.

Taiwan’s main opposition party, the Kuomintang, took the most number of seats but not enough to form a parliamentary majority on its own.

The other seats were won by the smaller Taiwan People’s Party, led by former Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je. REUTERS