Despite opposition from pan-blue lawmakers, Premier Yu Shyi-kun yesterday designated Chang Cheng-hsiung (張政雄) as the new chairman of the Central Election Council (CEC). In addition to Chang and 12 other members appointed by Yu, the legislative caucuses of the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU), Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and People First Part (PFP) will each designate one more member to make up the 16-person council.
According to the statute governing the organization of the CEC, the council should have 11 to 19 council members, including the council chairman. Their tenure is three years. The premier makes the appointments, pending the approval of the president. The council's current term is due to expire tomorrow.
However, according to the newly passed Organic Standard Law of the Central Government Agencies (
While opposition lawmakers did not object to any of the 12 members Yu nominated, they expressed strong reservations about Chang, who was criticized for having pro-independence leanings.
"We're not asking that the council chairman has to be one of our own, but that person has to be politically neutral, because the council is an independent institution," said KMT Legislator Huang Teh-fu (黃德福). "Besides, Chang has little experience in election affairs."
Although Chang is not a Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) member, he was appointed as a member of the CEC two years ago and serves in the council's five-member legal team.
In one of the lawsuits following in the wake of the presidential election, the opposition alliance accused the CEC of having failed to properly separate people when they were voting in the election and the referendum.
While the statute governing the CEC's structure does not require the legislature's approval for the appointment of the council's chairman and members, Huang said that the Cabinet should have waited until the Organic Standard Law of the Central Government Agencies takes effect before announcing the appointments.
The legislature passed the law on the last day of the legislative session on Friday. The new legislation gives the legislature the right to approve the heads of the government's five independent institutions, which includes the CEC.
PFP lawmaker Hsieh Chang-chieh (謝章捷) said that the caucus does not rule out the possibility of requesting a legal interpretation from the Council of Grand Justices.
"We're completely disappointed with the DPP government, which claims to respect democracy but in fact does exactly the opposite," Hsieh said. "We hope the DPP government exercises self-restraint and stops meddling in the CEC, which is supposed to be an independent government organ."
The Democratic Action Alliance (民主行動聯盟) also voiced opposition to Chang's appointment, calling him a "grave disgrace of the CEC."
"If he eventually becomes the head of the CEC, the council's reputation and credibility will go bankrupt and the nation's democracy will be severely trampled," said Hsieh Ta-ning (
In response to the criticism, Chang said that he would exert himself to remain politically neutral in his new job.
"I've never been a DPP member, but I identify with the DPP administration's ideals such as safeguarding human rights and respecting the rule of law," Chang said. "I think my appointment has a lot to do with my insisting on pushing for reforms."
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or
RSS