Wu Den-yih, tapped to take over as premier when the Cabinet resigns en masse Thursday, promised Monday to complete his list of new Cabinet members within the next few days, Wu made the pledge at a news conference at the ruling Kuomintang (KMT) headquarters after the Presidential Office announced that President Ma Ying-jeou had named Wu, a vice KMT chairman and the party's secretary-general, as the premier after accepting Premier Liu Chao-shiuan's resignation. Ma also named Taoyuan County Magistrate Eric Liluan Chu to take over the position of vice premier, Ma's spokesman Wang Yu-chi said. Wu said he would discuss Cabinet posts with the president and promised to make the list public as soon as it is set. 'Having difficult tasks on our shoulders, we will definitely work together with one heart to do our best, ' he said, in pledging to use his strength to serve the country and the people. Wu was the appointed mayor of Kaohsiung, the largest port city in southern Taiwan, between 1990 and 1994, and was elected in 1994 to serve as mayor for a second four-year term. He was defeated by Frank Hsieh in his bid for re-election in 1998. Wu is currently a legislator and has been the general secretary of the KMT since 2007. Liu announced earlier in the day that he and his Cabinet will resign en masse after the regular weekly Cabinet meeting on Thursday to give President Ma a free hand to form a new Cabinet. Liu said the president had accepted his resignation that he tendered to take political responsibility in the wake of Typhoon Morakot which wrought heavy damage in southern Taiwan earlier August, leaving over 600 people dead. Many have criticized the government for reacting slowly after the typhoon hit and showing a lack of sensitivity to disaster victims. 