The new chairman of the Central Election Commission (CEC), Chang Cheng-hsiung (張政雄), said yesterday at his inauguration that the commission is facing many challenges.
"As democracy is further taking root in our society by the day, all political parties and the public become more aware and concerned about every single election that is being held, which elevates the expectations that others have for the CEC," said Chang at his inauguration ceremony.
Chang added that as the holding of referendums has been newly added to commission's responsibilities, the CEC will have to go through more trials in the future.
"The commission will exercise its determination and patience to build an efficient team. Furthermore, we will do it with impartiality, openness and fairness, to study the pitfalls of election affairs in the past and to improve our accuracy performance in the future," said Chang.
Chang also said that he hoped the Legislative Yuan would amend the Referendum Law (公投法) to make the commission the management authority for referendums.
In response to People First Party (PFP) Chairman James Soong's (宋楚瑜) previous claim that Chang's appointed chairmanship was a move in preparation for President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) re-election, Chang said that he did not support anyone in particular.
"The matter of a possible re-election involves a law suit requesting the court to rule that the [presidential and vice-presidential] election was a fraud. I do not want to comment on that, out of my respect for the justice system; however, I do want to say that I do not support anyone in particular. In the future, I will execute my job with impartiality and my performance will fulfill my mission," Chang said.
Chang's appointment by the Cabinet as the head of the CEC has resulted in strong opposition from pan-blue camp as well as the Democratic Action Alliance, who both believe that Chang's pan-green proclivity in the past will cause him to be biased when executing his job.
Yesterday's inauguration ceremony was presided over by Hsu Chih-hsiung (許志雄), Minister of Mongolian and Tibetan Affairs Commission, who praised Chang for his long-term experience in law.
"Chang has been an attorney-at-law for 37 years and his name is renowned in the field, especially in the area of human rights. Chang's deep belief in democracy was illustrated when he served as court martial defense counsel for the defendants arrested during the 1979 Kaohsiung Incident (
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