Taiwan's main opposition Kuomintang (KMT) party on Wednesday swore in a new leader, who promised to "do his best" in leading the party to victory in the 2008 Taiwan elections.

Wu Poh-hsiung, elected as leader on Saturday after former KMT chairman Ma Ying-jeou resigned in the wake of an indictment on corruption charges, formally took the post in the party's headquarters in Taipei.

Wu said at the inaugural ceremony that he would do his utmost to choose a candidate "with highest possibility" of winning next year's election, adding his party was facing great challenges.

"From now on, let's put aside any unpleasantness of the past and start again," Wu said, stressing that Ma Ying-jeou and Wang Jin-pyng, leader of Taiwan's legislative body, were both valued by the party.

Wu, born in 1939, graduated from Taiwan-based Cheng-kung University, and was secretary-general of the KMT central committee, head of Taoyuan County and mayor of Taipei before he was elected KMT vice-chairman in 2000.

Ma Ying-jeou submitted his resignation on Feb. 13 after he was indicted on charges of corruption. Taiwan prosecutors said Ma diverted 11 million New Taiwan dollars (333,000 U.S. dollars) from Taipei's special allowance funds to his private account during his tenure as mayor.
 
Editor: Yan