The Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) Central Standing Committee yesterday passed a motion to lift a self-imposed term limit on legislator-at-large seats for legislative speakers, opening the door for Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng’s (王金平) potential re-election for a fourth term.
The proposal, jointly submitted by five committee members, was passed with the signatures of 29 of the 39 members, without being put to a vote at a routine meeting of the committee in Taipei.
The motion recommends an amendment be made to Article 2 of the KMT’s regulations on nominations for legislators-at-large and overseas legislators, which stipulates that KMT legislators-at-large are generally allowed to serve one term, but those with special contributions to the party are eligible for re-election.
Photo: Lo Pei-der, Taipei Times
The last paragraph of the article — dubbed the “legislative speaker clause” — states that KMT members who meet the above criteria and also serve as legislative speakers are entitled to a third term as a legislator-at-large.
The “legislative speaker clause” was added to the regulations in October 2011, before the end of Wang’s second term as legislator-at-large, for the apparent sole purpose of allowing him to retain his role for a third consecutive term.
Wang first assumed the speakership in 1999.
Under the new amendment, KMT legislative speakers who fulfil requirements would be exempted from the three-term limit.
“The legislative speakership is held by a legislators-at-large whose power and influence are accorded by their party. As such, their neutrality and authority might be compromised and questioned if their party can strip them of their position at will … or block their re-election bid by imposing a term limit,” the motion stated.
“In an effort to let the party’s legislative speaker fulfil duties without distractions, we propose that the committee make an amendment to the nomination regulations for legislators-at-large,” it added.
KMT spokesperson Lin Yi-hua (林奕華) said the committee did not discuss any specific KMT member or the party’s potential legislator-at-large candidates for the Jan. 16 elections at the meeting.
Prior to the meeting, KMT presidential candidate Eric Chu (朱立倫) said ensuring neutrality in the speakership was one of the three legislative reforms he plans to push for, if he wins the presidential race.
“The other two planned reforms include improving the efficiency of the legislature and improving transparency in legislative negotiations,” Chu said.
None of the three reforms would be affected because of a single individual, Chu said.
“My objective is to establish a long-term system. Any KMT members who disapprove of, or refuse to accept, these pending changes will not be nominated by the party as its candidates,” he added.
Wang said on the sidelines of an event in Taipei that the passage of the motion indicated support from leaders of both the KMT and the Democratic Progressive Party for a neutral legislative speaker and a reformed legislature.
“The public also looks forward to seeing these plans become a reality,” Wang said.
SILENCING CRITICS: In addition to blocking Taiwan, China aimed to prevent rights activists from speaking out against authoritarian states, a Cabinet department said The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday condemned transnational repression by Beijing after RightsCon, a major digital human rights conference scheduled to be held in Zambia this week, was abruptly canceled due to Chinese pressure over Taiwanese participation. This year’s RightsCon, the world’s largest conference discussing issues “at the intersection of human rights and technology,” was scheduled to take place from tomorrow to Friday in Lusaka, and expected to draw 2,600 in-person attendees from 150 countries, along with 1,100 online participants. However, organizers were forced to cancel the event due to behind-the-scenes pressure from China, the ministry said, expressing its “strongest condemnation”
Taiwan’s economy grew far faster than expected in the first quarter, as booming demand for artificial intelligence (AI) applications drove a surge in exports, spilling over into investment and consumption, the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) said yesterday. GDP growth was 13.69 percent year-on-year during the January-to-March period, beating the DGBAS’ February forecast by 2.23 percentage points and marking the most robust growth in nearly four decades, DGBAS senior official Chiang Hsin-yi (江心怡) told a news conference in Taipei. The result was powered by exports, which remain the backbone of Taiwan’s economy, Chiang said. Outbound shipments jumped 51.12 percent year-on-year to
DELAYED BUT DETERMINED: The president’s visit highlights Taiwan’s right to international engagement amid regional pressure from China President Willaim Lai (賴清德) yesterday arrived in Eswatini, more than a week after his planned visit to Taiwan’s sole African ally was suspended because of revoked overflight permits. “The visit, originally scheduled for April 22, was postponed due to unforeseen external factors,” Lai wrote on social media. “After several days of careful arrangements by our diplomatic and national security teams, we successfully arrived today.” Lai said he looked forward to further deepening Taiwan-Eswatini relations through closer cooperation in the economy, agriculture, culture and education, as well as advancing the nation’s international partnerships. The president was initially scheduled to arrive in time to celebrate
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp (IRGC) yesterday said the US faced a choice between an “impossible” military operation or a “bad deal” with Tehran, after US President Donald Trump disparaged Iran’s latest peace proposal. Negotiations between the two countries have been deadlocked since a ceasefire came into effect on April 8, with only one round of direct peace talks held so far. Iran’s Tasnim and Fars news agencies reported that Tehran had submitted a 14-point proposal to mediator Pakistan, but Trump was quick to cast doubt on it. “I will soon be reviewing the plan that Iran has just sent to us, but
RSS