Health Minister Chen Shih-chung (???) announced his resignation Thursday, saying he was standing down in order to focus on his run for Taipei mayor ahead of Nov. 26’s election.

Chen, who was formally selected as the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate on Wednesday, told a Cabinet press briefing Thursday that he had submitted his letter of resignation to Premier Su Tseng-chang (???) earlier that morning.

Chen said he would stay on as health minister until his successor has been named, adding that he would also hand over his duties as head of the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC).

Chen, health minister since 2017, came to public prominence as the face of the government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and host of the CECC’s daily press briefings.

The CECC had worked tirelessly to fight COVID-19 over the past two years, Chen said, adding that he was confident his replacement would continue leading the team with similar vigor.

Meanwhile, Cabinet spokesman Lo Ping-cheng (???) told the press conference that the Cabinet would publicly announce Chen’s replacement as soon as a decision was made.

Anonymous Cabinet sources told CNA Wednesday that the government was expected to name Chen’s replacement in one week.

Chen, 68, practiced dentistry before being appointed deputy minister in the Department of Health in 2005.

He has never run for government office, but his central role in leading Taiwan’s COVID-19 response transformed him into a hopeful for the capital’s top job.

However, Chen’s entry into the Taipei mayoral race has been heavily criticized by opposition parties such as the Kuomintang (KMT), which has accused him of abandoning his post while the country continues to face local COVID-19 infections.

In the race for Taipei mayor, Chen will face off against Legislator Chiang Wan-an (???) of the KMT, and possibly Deputy Taipei Mayor Huang Shan-shan (???), who has yet to announce her election bid.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel