Taiwan has named party loyalist and veteran politician Chang Chun-hsiung to serve as the island's premier, as the ruling Democratic Progressive Party gears up for presidential elections next March.
Chen Shui-bian, Taiwan's president, named Chang on Monday after Su Tseng-chang made a surprise announcement to step down over the weekend.
Su became the fifth premier to quit since Chen took office in 2000.
Chang, 68, who had been a premier before under the Chen administration, is chairman of the Straits Exchange Foundation, a semi-official organisation that is in charge of negotiations with China.
Chang is expected to reshuffle the Cabinet later this week in a bid to improve government efficiency and give candidate Frank Hsieh a leg up in what is expected to be a tightly contested presidential race against Ma Ying-jeou of the main opposition Nationalists.
The premier is the second most powerful man in Taiwan, after the president, and is in charge of setting policies and running the day-to-day administration of the government.
He also heads the cabinet, with all the ministers reporting to him.
Su stunned the nation with his resignation on Saturday, less than a week after he lost the ruling party's primary for the 2008 presidential election.