President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) is considering the choice of a new premier after his proposal to let the legislative majority form a new Cabinet was rejected by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), according to Presidential Office spokesman Charles Chen (陳以信).
Based on the principle of respecting the legislative majority, Ma is to consult with the DPP before announcing a new premier, Chen said.
Premier Mao Chi-kuo (毛治國) led his Cabinet members to resign en masse on Monday in the wake of the Jan. 16 presidential and legislative elections, which saw DPP Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) win 56.12 percent of the vote to win the presidency and her party garner 68 seats in the 113-member legislature.
Mao has insisted on leaving the post, despite Ma’s hope that he would stay on until the president can persuade the DPP to form a new Cabinet. Mao has since taken leave, with his deputy, Simon Chang (張善政), acting on his behalf.
During a meeting with Presidential Office Secretary-General Tseng Yung-chuan (曾永權) on Saturday, former DPP secretary-general Lin Hsi-yao (林錫耀) formally turned down on Tsai’s behalf Ma’s offer for the DPP to form a new Cabinet, Chen said.
The newly elected lawmakers are to be sworn in on Feb. 1, more than three months earlier than Tsai’s inauguration.
A car bomb killed a senior Russian general in southern Moscow yesterday morning, the latest high-profile army figure to be blown up in a blast that came just hours after Russian and Ukrainian delegates held separate talks in Miami on a plan to end the war. Kyiv has not commented on the incident, but Russian investigators said they were probing whether the blast was “linked” to “Ukrainian special forces.” The attack was similar to other assassinations of generals and pro-war figures that have either been claimed, or are widely believed to have been orchestrated, by Ukraine. Russian Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, 56, head
A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck off Yilan at 11:05pm yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The epicenter was located at sea, about 32.3km east of Yilan County Hall, at a depth of 72.8km, CWA data showed There were no immediate reports of damage. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Yilan County area on Taiwan’s seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. It measured 4 in other parts of eastern, northern and central Taiwan as well as Tainan, and 3 in Kaohsiung and Pingtung County, and 2 in Lienchiang and Penghu counties and 1
SAFETY FIRST: Double the number of police were deployed at the Taipei Marathon, while other cities released plans to bolster public event safety Authorities across Taiwan have stepped up security measures ahead of Christmas and New Year events, following a knife and smoke bomb attack in Taipei on Friday that left four people dead and 11 injured. In a bid to prevent potential copycat incidents, police deployments have been expanded for large gatherings, transport hubs, and other crowded public spaces, according to official statements from police and city authorities. Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said the city has “comprehensively raised security readiness” in crowded areas, increased police deployments with armed officers, and intensified patrols during weekends and nighttime hours. For large-scale events, security checkpoints and explosives
‘POLITICAL GAME’: DPP lawmakers said the motion would not meet the legislative threshold needed, and accused the KMT and the TPP of trivializing the Constitution The Legislative Yuan yesterday approved a motion to initiate impeachment proceedings against President William Lai (賴清德), saying he had undermined Taiwan’s constitutional order and democracy. The motion was approved 61-50 by lawmakers from the main opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the smaller Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), who together hold a legislative majority. Under the motion, a roll call vote for impeachment would be held on May 19 next year, after various hearings are held and Lai is given the chance to defend himself. The move came after Lai on Monday last week did not promulgate an amendment passed by the legislature that
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