New Taipei City mayor Eric Chu has taken over as the chairman of the ruling KMT.
At a ceremony on Monday, Chu replaced Ma Ying-jeou to become the leader of one of Taiwan’s biggest political parties. Ma resigned in early December following the KMT’s setback in last year’s local elections.
Chu vowed to push for reforms, though he said the KMT’s vision and policies are in line with mainstream opinion.
The newly-elected KMT chairman said that there is plenty of room for cooperation between the Cabinet and the legislature.
“I want to emphasize again that the legislative power will not be bullied by the administrative power," said Chu. "By the same token, the administrative power will not be hijacked by the legislative power. Only with cooperation between the legislative and the administrative branches [of the government] will the KMT be able to push for its policies for Taiwan and its people.”
Meanwhile, the KMT’s outgoing chairman Ma Ying-joeu said reform and solidarity are crucial to KMT’s future. Ma also voiced his support for Chu.