The Central Election Commission (CEC) said yesterday that there is little chance of changing the date of the December legislative elections, unless a CEC commissioner made such a proposal by the end of this month.
Yesterday a group of pan-blue and independent lawmakers, including People First Party Legislator Lee Ching-hua (李慶華) and independent Legislator Yen Chin-piao (顏清標), paid a visit to the CEC to ask it to move the date of the legislative elections from Dec. 11 to Dec. 4.
As Dec. 10 is the anniversary of the Kaohsiung Incident in 1979, after which the KMT government imprisoned democracy activists following a protest organized by Formosa magazine turned into a riot. The crackdown is also known as the Formosa Incident.
Pan-blue legislators said that the proximity of the election date to the 25th anniversary of the incident would affect the election's outcome.
"The CEC is holding an upper management meeting on Sunday to schedule a meeting among all commissioners. If none of the commissioners proposes a date change, the election day is unlikely to be changed," CEC Chairman Chang Chao-hsiung (
However, even if a proposal is made by one of the commissioners, the CEC will not necessarily adopt the proposal.
In the past, legislative elections have always been held on the first weekend of December. However, this year, the CEC chose Dec. 11 -- the second weekend of the month -- as the election date instead. Therefore, the pan-blue camp said that the proximity of the 25th anniversary of the Kaohsiung Incident and the election date was no coincidence.
According to Chang, as long as there is nothing illegal or "unjust" about the way the commissioners have determined the date for this year's legislative elections, it will be hard to call for a date change.
The Election and Recall Law (選罷法) stipulates that a promulgation of the election date and its logistics needs to be carried out 40 days prior to the election.
LOOKING NORTH: The base would enhance the military’s awareness of activities in the Bashi Channel, which China Coast Guard ships have been frequenting, an expert said The Philippine Navy on Thursday last week inaugurated a forward operating base in the country’s northern most province of Batanes, which at 185km from Taiwan would be strategically important in a military conflict in the Taiwan Strait. The Philippine Daily Inquirer quoted Northern Luzon Command Commander Lieutenant General Fernyl Buca as saying that the base in Mahatao would bolster the country’s northern defenses and response capabilities. The base is also a response to the “irregular presence this month of armed” of China Coast Guard vessels frequenting the Bashi Channel in the Luzon Strait just south of Taiwan, the paper reported, citing a
A total lunar eclipse, an astronomical event often referred to as a “blood moon,” would be visible to sky watchers in Taiwan starting just before midnight on Sunday night, the Taipei Astronomical Museum said. The phenomenon is also called “blood moon” due to the reddish-orange hue it takes on as the Earth passes directly between the sun and the moon, completely blocking direct sunlight from reaching the lunar surface. The only light is refracted by the Earth’s atmosphere, and its red wavelengths are bent toward the moon, illuminating it in a dramatic crimson light. Describing the event as the most important astronomical phenomenon
Three batches of banana sauce imported from the Philippines were intercepted at the border after they were found to contain the banned industrial dye Orange G, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. From today through Sept. 2 next year, all seasoning sauces from the Philippines are to be subject to the FDA’s strictest border inspection, meaning 100 percent testing for illegal dyes before entry is allowed, it said in a statement. Orange G is an industrial coloring agent that is not permitted for food use in Taiwan or internationally, said Cheng Wei-chih (鄭維智), head of the FDA’s Northern Center for
UNDER PRESSURE: The report cited numerous events that have happened this year to show increased coercion from China, such as military drills and legal threats The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) aims to reinforce its “one China” principle and the idea that Taiwan belongs to the People’s Republic of China by hosting celebratory events this year for the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, the “retrocession” of Taiwan and the establishment of the UN, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said in its latest report to the Legislative Yuan. Taking advantage of the significant anniversaries, Chinese officials are attempting to assert China’s sovereignty over Taiwan through interviews with international news media and cross-strait exchange events, the report said. Beijing intends to reinforce its “one China” principle
RSS