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 (
CARGO LOSS: About 50 containers at the stern of the ‘Ever Lunar’ cargo ship went overboard, prompting the temporary closure of the port and disrupting operations Evergreen Marine Corp, Taiwan’s largest container shipper, yesterday said that all crew members aboard the Ever Lunar (長月) were safe after dozens of containers fell overboard off the coast of Peru the previous day. The incident occurred at 9:40am on Friday as the Ever Lunar was anchored and waiting to enter the Port of Callao when it suddenly experienced severe rolling, Evergreen said in a statement. The rolling, which caused the containers to fall, might have been caused by factors including a tsunami triggered by an earthquake in Russia, poor winter sea conditions in South America or a sudden influx of waves,
The Ministry of Culture yesterday officially launched the “We TAIWAN” cultural program on Osaka’s Nakanoshima sandbank, with the program’s mascot receiving overwhelming popularity. The cultural program, which runs from Aug. 2 to 20, was designed to partner with and capitalize on the 2025 World Expo that is being held in Osaka, Japan, from April 13 to Oct. 13, the ministry said. On the first day of the cultural program, its mascot, a green creature named “a-We,” proved to be extremely popular, as its merch was immediately in high demand. Long lines formed yesterday for the opening
The Taipei Summer Festival is to begin tomorrow at Dadaocheng Wharf (大稻埕), featuring four themed firework shows and five live music performances throughout the month, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said today. The festival in the city’s Datong District (大同) is to run until Aug. 30, holding firework displays on Wednesdays and the final Saturday of the event. The first show is scheduled for tomorrow, followed by Aug. 13, 20 and 30. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Disney Pixar's movie Toy Story, the festival has partnered with Walt Disney Co (Taiwan) to host a special themed area on
BE CAREFUL: The virus rarely causes severe illness or death, but newborns, older people and those with medical conditions are at risk of more severe illness As more than 7,000 cases of chikungunya fever have been reported in China’s Guangdong Province this year, including 2,892 new cases last week, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday said it is monitoring the situation and considering raising the travel notice level, which might be announced today. The CDC issued a level 1 travel notice, or “watch,” for Guangdong Province on July 22, citing an outbreak in Foshan, a manufacturing hub in the south of the province, that was reported early last month. Between July 27 and Saturday, the province reported 2,892 new cases of chikungunya, reaching a total of 7,716
RSS