Premier says Lien can't form Cabinet

Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Lien Chan's (連戰) controversial comments that he would form a new Cabinet if the pan-blue camp wins a legislative majority only showed the lengths he will go to seize power from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) administration, Premier Yu Shyi-kun said yesterday.

"Lien will violate the Constitution," Yu said. "He doesn't have the right to nominate a new Cabinet even if the pan-blue camp becomes the largest coalition in the legislature ... What he says simply shows his true colors, and that is he has been trying to take back the power since the pan-blue camp lost the presidential election four years ago."

According to the additional articles to the Constitution, the premier is directly appointed by the head of state without obtaining the consent of the Legislative Yuan. The legislature has the power to pass a no-confidence vote against the premier, but the head of state also has the power to dissolve the legislature.

Yu made the remark yesterday morning when he was campaigning for DPP legislative candidates in Taipei County.

Looking back over the past years, Yu said that the pan-blue camp has engaged in political stunts aimed at taking over power from the DPP administration.

Those included a plan to unseat President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) in 2001 and a plan to hold a no-confidence vote against Yu in the runup to this year's presidential election, Yu said.

More KMT comments

Commenting on Lien's remarks, KMT legislative caucus whip Huang Teh-fu (黃德福) yesterday said Chen should respect the mandate that will be revealed in the Dec. 11 legislative elections when he forms a new Cabinet.

Huang claimed that "according to democratic norms," if the legislative majority forms the Cabinet, it will usher in stable relations between the legislative and executive branches.

He noted that Chen has the right to appoint the premier according to the Constitution, but added that the president should respect the mandate shown in the election.

According to Huang, if the pan-green camp is in charge of the forming of a Cabinet even if the pan-blues wins a majority in the legislature, then the legislative elections will be rendered meaningless.

He claimed that the chaos in recent years can be attributed to what he described as Chen's "lack of respect for the majority" in the legislature.

A minority Cabinet has resulted in constant bickering between the executive and legislative branches, he said.

The pan-blue camp currently holds a slim majority in the 225-seat legislature and Chen is urging voters to give the pan-green camp of the DPP and its ally Taiwan Solidarity Union a clear majority so that the government can push through its policies smoothly rather than having them thwarted at every turn by the opposition.

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