The KMT plans to hold a preparatory meeting on Friday to discuss the date and agenda for the cross-party consultation meeting it will host on the implementation of resolutions reached at the Economic Development Advisory Council.
The consultation meeting is expected to be held in two weeks.
The KMT said it intends to include a proposal in the meeting's agenda that the DPP government ensure that the majority party in the legislature after the year-end elections be allowed to form a coalition Cabinet.
However, DPP secretary-general Wu Nai-jen (吳乃仁) yesterday reiterated, "It's the president's right, enshrined by the Constitution, to appoint the premier."
Echoing Wu's views, secretary general to the president Yu Shyi-kun yesterday said it is still too early to discuss the possibility of forming a coalition government.
"Taiwan doesn't practice the Cabinet system. Even if it did, [the president] wouldn't necessarily be required to empower the majority party in the legislature to form a coalition government," Yu reportedly said yesterday, adding that discussing possible Cabinet reshuffles for February was premature.
Wu also said that he had replied to KMT secretary-general Lin Fong-cheng's (林豐正) invitation to attend Friday's meeting, but said "President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) doesn't necessarily have to attend the inter-party negotiation at all."
In addition to Lin and Wu, likely participants at the meeting will include secretary-general of the People First Party Chung Jung-chi (鍾榮吉), secretary-general of the New Party, Lee Ben-nan (李炳南) and Tsai Hau (蔡豪) and Yeh Hsien-hsiu (葉憲修) from the non-partisan alliances of independent legislators, said KMT spokesman Justin Chou (周守訓).
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