Instead of cutting to the constitutional amendment chase, National Assembly deputies yesterday bought more time by adopting a non-binding resolution to postpone the May 6 National Assembly re-election.
Central Election Commission (CEC) officials said the election will be held in accordance with the Constitution and election laws, but added that they would call a meeting to discuss how to handle the situation.
The resolution was put forward jointly by the KMT and DPP caucuses, and was passed by a vote of 115 to 29. Deputies from the minority New Party and People First Party were opposed to the move.
Under the resolution, the Assembly is appealing to the Executive Yuan to request the CEC to delay the election until the session is over.
"There will be an answer by May 19 as to whether our efforts at reform have been successful or not," said Liu I-teh (
The May 6 election was set following a March 24 ruling by the Council of Grand Justices which invalidated two constitutional amendments adopted by the Assembly in September 1999 that involved a controversial extension of the deputies' terms.
The constitutional amendment session launched yesterday was a response by KMT and DPP caucuses to the Council of Grand Justices' ruling.
The goal is to marginalize the government body before its term expires on May 19.
Under the reform, the Assembly would become a non-standing body starting May 20, 2000 that would not convene regularly and and would not involve re-election of deputies.
Caught in a bind with little time before May 6 -- and the end of this session set for April 25 -- deputies are trying to buy more time.
"We just need some more time to get things done," explained Tsai Cheng-yuan (
DPP deputy Chiu I-pin (
"The Grand Justices are to blame for the constitutional chaos," Chiu said. "The fact that they have issued this ruling shows that they don't even have any common sense."
Chiu contends that the Council dragged its feet unnecessarily as an interpretation was requested in September 1999, but a ruling didn't come until March 2000.
One KMT deputy, Hsieh Ming-hui (
The New Party and People First Party caucuses, meanwhile, were against postponing the election.
"Postponing the election will mean extending the term," said New Party deputy Tang A-ken (
"Since the election has already been set, what's the point of trying to amend the Constitution in such a rush?" Wu asked.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls. As the first front approached, sporadic rainfall began in central and northern parts of Taiwan yesterday, the agency said, adding that rain is forecast to intensify in those regions today, while brief showers would also affect other parts of the nation. A second weather system is forecast to arrive on Thursday, bringing additional rain to the whole nation until Sunday, it
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft