A majority of opposition legislators are prepared to support the continuation of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant when they gather for an extraordinary legislative session tentatively scheduled for the end of this month.
While the KMT and People First Party legislative caucuses are firmly against halting the project, the anti-nuclear New Party has decided to allow its members a free vote rather than requiring them to uphold the party line.
Cheng Yung-chin (
"The caucus will try to seek a reconciliation with these legislators," Cheng said.
For example, Cheng noted that when the legislature last voted to restore the power plant's budget in 1996, KMT legislators from Taipei County abstained from voting rather than casting a ballot against the project.
Hwang Yih-jiau (黃義交), spokesman for the PFP caucus, said that because the Council of Grand Justices has ruled there were "procedural flaws" in the Cabinet's Oct. 27 decision to halt the plant's construction, the work-stoppage order is therefore unconstitutional.
Based on this line of reasoning, PFP legislators will vote against the decision, Hwang said.
"This won't involve any substantive discussion on the pro-nuclear and anti-nuclear issues," Hwang said.
Lai Shyh-bao (
Lai said some caucus members are strongly against continuing the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant, but there are others who support keeping the new plant on the condition that the first and second nuclear power plants cease operations earlier than scheduled.
Premier Chang Chun-hsiung (
Lawmakers are expected to pass a resolution supporting the power plant project after Chang's report.
Chang yesterday said he hopes differences over the nuclear project can be resolved through inter-party negotiations before he delivers his report to the legislature.
Legislators have targeted Jan. 30 as the date for the extraordinary legislative session.
But the KMT caucus is considering delaying the meeting until Feb. 2, so as to allow more time for colleagues who are spending their vacation abroad to come back for the special session.
The legislators will meet on Jan. 22 to make a final decision on the date.
Meanwhile, KMT Chairman Lien Chan (連戰) called on the DPP yesterday to heed public opinion and resume construction work on the power plant as soon as possible.
Proposing a compromise measure, DPP Legislator Hsu Tain-tsair (
After successfully ensuring against the risk of a power shortage in Taiwan, the Executive Yuan could then submit a proposal to the legislature to convert the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant into a nuclear power museum, Hsu said.
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