The Council of Grand Justices (大法官會議) has nearly completed its review of constitutional amendments passed by the National Assembly last September. Sources claim the council will declare the amendments unconstitutional on procedural grounds, forcing the assembly to carry out fresh elections before May 20.
The National Assembly passed two major constitutional amendments last year.
The first extended its own terms of office -- which were originally supposed to end this month -- to February 2002.
The second amendment abolished future direct elections for assembly seats in favor of a proportional representation system based on the percentage of the popular vote each party gains in Legislative Yuan elections.
Sources close to the National Assembly have reported that the Council of Grand Justices -- Taiwan's top arbiter on constitutional interpretation -- and a significant portion of assembly members have reached a consensus to overturn the assembly's ruling on grounds that proper procedures were violated.
Those procedures included the vote by secret ballot which finally passed the amendments.
DPP Assembly caucus leader Chen Chin-teh (
DPP assemblyman Liu I-te (劉一德) dismissed recent media reports speculating on the judges' ruling and warned the assembly would consider revising Taiwan's system of checks and balances if the council tried to overturn last year's amendments.
KMT assemblyman Alex Tsai (蔡正元) said that an unconstitutional ruling by the justices would face stiff opposition in the assembly. Assembly members might petition to reopen the assembly to discuss the issue, Tsai said.
Council justices expressed confusion over the fierce opposition to the yet-to-be-announced ruling expressed by some assemblymen.
If the council rules last year's amendments unconstitutional, then the National Assembly's decision to cancel elections will have no legal basis and they will have to hold new polls regardless of any new motions the assembly may subsequently pass, said one justice.
The council is expected to announce its ruling this Friday.
DEFENSE: The first set of three NASAMS that were previously purchased is expected to be delivered by the end of this year and deployed near the capital, sources said Taiwan plans to procure 28 more sets of M-142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), as well as nine additional sets of National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS), military sources said yesterday. Taiwan had previously purchased 29 HIMARS launchers from the US and received the first 11 last year. Once the planned purchases are completed and delivered, Taiwan would have 57 sets of HIMARS. The army has also increased the number of MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) purchased from 64 to 84, the sources added. Each HIMARS launch pod can carry six Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems, capable of
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Tropical Storm Podul strengthened into a typhoon at 8pm yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, with a sea warning to be issued late last night or early this morning. As of 8pm, the typhoon was 1,020km east of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, moving west at 23kph. The storm carried maximum sustained winds of 119kph and gusts reaching 155kph, the CWA said. Based on the tropical storm’s trajectory, a land warning could be issued any time from midday today, it added. CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張竣堯) said Podul is a fast-moving storm that is forecast to bring its heaviest rainfall and strongest
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