Review ofnominations deadlocked

Cross-party negotiations over how to tackle the nomination process for Control Yuan vacancies during the last legislative session broke down again yesterday, with no date set for the next round of cross-party talk.

"As People First Party (PFP) Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) just returned home from an overseas trip, the PFP requires some time to reach a consensus on the issue," Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) told reporters after presiding over the talks yesterday afternoon.

"We'll continue the negotiations when opposition parties come to a conclusion, but we didn't set any date for the next talks."

Inking an Accord

Lawmakers across party lines, however, inked an accord to extend the legislative session until Jan. 21.

When asked whether the legislature would complete the review of the qualifications of the Control Yuan nominees before the session ends, Wang said "hopefully," because it depended on the will of both parties.

Wang also said that he did not think lawmakers would violate the Constitution if they failed to complete the review of the nominees before the session ends, because the Constitution does not specify when they should conclude the review and vote on the nominees.

Taiwan Solidarity Union caucus whip Chen Chien-ming (陳建銘) said that the negotiation process took only five minutes and went very smoothly, that Wang was using Soong as an excuse for a third round of fruitless cross-party talks.

Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus whip Huang Teh-fu (黃德福) said that the Presidential Office should respect the mandate of the public. He also recommended revoking the list.

Suspension

"Until they renominate the candidates, we'll suspend the review process or simply let the newly elected legislature take over the job," he said.

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus whip Lee Chun-yee (李俊毅) said that the Presidential Office would not revoke the nominee list nor would it submit a different list.

"The requests of the opposition parties are not only irrational but also unconstitutional," he said.

"While I urge the public to condemn their unreasonable behavior, the DPP will continue to negotiate with the opposition parties and welcome any constructive ideas," he added.