Taipei - Taiwan's president-elect Ma Ying-jeou on Friday picked Liu Chao-Shiuan, a technocrat and former vice premier, as prime minister.

Liu told reporters he has accepted Ma's invitation to serve as the prime minister and will unveil the new cabinet lineup before the end of April.

Liu, 61, a graduate from the chemistry department of National Taiwan University, held several posts in Kuomintang (KMT) governments before 2000, including transport minister, director of National Science Council and vice premier. He has a clean image and wide political experience.

As the KMT has been out of power for eight years, Ma's cabinet is likely to lack new talent and will rely mainly on "old" technocrats for a smooth transition, analysts said.

Once the new government is in operation, Ma will introduce new blood into his cabinet, they added.

Ma is 58 and vice president-elect Vincent Siew is 70.

Ma, a former leader of Taiwan's largest opposition party the KMT, won a landslide victory in the March 20 presidential election due to his pro-China policies. He will be sworn in on May 20.

Ma's election win has brought the KMT back to power, eight yeras after the party, also known as the Nationalists - Taiwan's ruling party for half a century - suffered a crushing defeat in the 2000 election polls, handing power to the Taiwan pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).

Putting aside Taiwan's sovereignty dispute with China, Ma has promised to seek economic integration with China to revive Taiwan's sagging economy. (dpa)