KMT Chairman Lien Chan (
"Everything will go smoothly and everyone will cooperate if the president forms the new government in accordance with the Constitution," Lien said.
"Otherwise, our party, as a member of the legislature, will be responsible for contacting other parties to not only work to save Taiwan's economy, but also Tai-wan's politics," Lien added.
Presidential Office spokeswoman Kuo Yao-chi (郭瑤琪) said it is unnecessary for the KMT to wait until after the elections to form such an alliance since the KMT, as the largest party in the legislature, has the power and ability to do so now.
According to the Constitution, lawmakers can raise a no-confidence vote against the premier.
Instead of launching a no-confidence vote, the KMT led the formation of the opposition alliance and threatened to recall Chen in November last year following the DPP administration's decision to scrap the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant -- a move considered by the opposition to be unconstitutional.
According to Lien, abiding by the Constitution and respecting the majority in the legislature will be key to the stability of the political scene after the elections.
However, Lien said, what Chen is most concerned about now is his power, rather than the Constitution.
Chen's recent remarks about forming a "cross-party alliance for national stabilization" to prepare for the formation of the new Cabinet indicated that the president might form another minority government after the elections, Lien said.
Though the president would prefer to meet after the elections, Lien said he hopes Chen will change his mind and accept his proposal to meet before tomorrow's legislative polls.
"I want to ask him why it's so difficult for him to conform to the Constitution and what the problem is," Lien said.
The KMT chairman said he has prepared a string of other questions to challenge Chen.
These questions include whether the DPP will push for public referenda on Taiwan independence and the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant project and whether Chen will renege on his campaign promise to reduce the workweek to 40 hours next year.
Lien urged the people to go to the polls tomorrow, saying a low turnout will be favorable for the DPP's plan to gain victory with the support of pro-independence supporters.
Meanwhile, KMT Secretary-general Lin Fong-cheng (林豐正) yesterday cited "reliable sources" as saying that DPP candidates in some localities are planning to incite riots if they are defeated in the elections.
There are also rumors that the DPP will have people posing as KMT members stage a demonstration in front of KMT headquarters as soon as the election results are out, Lin said.
According to Lin, the rally is intended to split the KMT by causing a scene similar to what occurred soon after the conclusion of the presidential race on March 18 last year, in which protesters demanded that then KMT chairman Lee Teng-hui (
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
LANDSLIDES POSSIBLE: The agency advised the public to avoid visiting mountainous regions due to more expected aftershocks and rainfall from a series of weather fronts A series of earthquakes over the past few days were likely aftershocks of the April 3 earthquake in Hualien County, with further aftershocks to be expected for up to a year, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Based on the nation’s experience after the quake on Sept. 21, 1999, more aftershocks are possible over the next six months to a year, the agency said. A total of 103 earthquakes of magnitude 4 on the local magnitude scale or higher hit Hualien County from 5:08pm on Monday to 10:27am yesterday, with 27 of them exceeding magnitude 5. They included two, of magnitude
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique