Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen has appointed a close ally as her new premier. The move comes as her ruling party tries to shake off a major setback in local elections.

71-year-old Chen Chien-jen will formally assume the role next week, becoming the leader of Taiwan's cabinet.

Chen served as vice president during Tsai's first term in office. He's an epidemiologist, and he played an important role in shaping Taiwan's response to COVID-19.

In a press conference on Friday, Tsai said Chen is the best person to unite Taiwan as it emerges from the pandemic.

"We must strengthen the resilience of Taiwan's economy, environment and society, and place importance on people's lives, so that Taiwan will remain united, with 23 million people feeling content," Chen said.

Chen only joined the ruling Democratic Progressive Party last year, but he took on a high profile job before key local elections in November.

President Tsai resigned as the head of the party after it suffered major losses. Some recent polls suggest support for her administration has been falling ahead of next year's presidential election.