Former DPP Chairman Shih Ming-te (
Shih, who is currently a legislator, was echoing the opposition parties' claim that Chen should follow the principles of the semi-presidential system, which they said is what the ROC Constitution is all about.
"President Chen should recognize the spirit of the semi-presidential system and surrender the Executive Yuan [to the majority party in the legislature]," Shih said.
Though the DPP is in control of the presidency, it remains a minority party in the legislature and has failed to muster enough support for policies put forth by the Executive Yuan.
The government's announcement Oct. 27 that it will scrap the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant (核四) project has brought about the most severe political turmoil since Chen's inauguration in May.
Opposition lawmakers from the KMT, People First Party and New Party, who constitute an approximate two-thirds majority in the legislature, have pushed for a drive to recall Chen over the "unconstitutional and unlawful" decision.
Opposition politicians have called Chen a "dictator" and accused him of disdaining the legislature and have vowed to continue the drive unless Chen shows goodwill -- by which they mean abiding by the principles of the semi-presidential system and letting the majority party in the legislature dominate the formation of the Cabinet.
Though Shih, a DPP heavyweight, is supportive of this claim, it is considered "inconceivable" (
DPP legislator Lee Wen-chung (
"If the KMT intends to regain power, its only means of doing so is to push for the passage of a vote of no-confidence against Chang's Cabinet, which will enable the president to dissolve the legislature," Lee said.
Lee repeated his proposal that Chen should seriously consider the possibility of a coalition government. In the long run, Lee suggested, the DPP should try to negotiate with opposition parties to seek to amend the Constitution.
While adopting a full presidential system might be one option, another will be to improve Taiwan's semi-presidential system by including in it some crucial mechanisms of a traditional semi-presidential system, Lee said.
These include granting the president a proactive power to dissolve the legislature, and restoring the legislature's power to block the president's appointment of the premier, Lee added.
As the Constitution currently stands, the president may only dissolve the legislature in the event of a vote of no confidence in the premier.
Prior to a 1997 constitutional amendment, the legislature could block the presidential nominee's assumption of the premiership by voting it down. Now it may only do so by calling for a Cabinet reshuffle.
In related developments yesterday, Central Election Commission Chairman Huang Shih-cheng (
It will cost another NT$1.3 billion to hold a new presidential election in the event that the recall succeeds, Huang told the legislature's Budget and Final Accounts Committee.
The Constitution requires that a proposal to recall the president or vice president be referred to the people for ratification after it is passed by a two-thirds majority in the legislature. The proposal will be adopted if it gathers support from at least one-half of the valid ballots in a vote in which at least one-half of the electorate takes part.
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
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