Candidates for the National Assembly cruised Taiwan's streets yesterday to solicit votes ahead of a poll on constitutional reform.
The election on Saturday will select party-affiliated deputies to the National Assembly that will vote on proposed constitutional changes aimed at halving the number of seats in the legislature and replacing an unwieldy proportional representation system.
The assembly will also vote on whether the nation can hold referendums to approve future constitutional changes -- a controversial issue because China fears Taiwan could use such plebiscites to change the nation's political status and declare formal independence.
However, Taiwan's two largest political parties support the proposed constitutional changes, which will likely be approved, regardless of which party triumphs in Saturday's election.
President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) has said his party will only use referendums to approve constitutional amendments to streamline the political system, and will not seek to change the nation's status.
Saturday's vote follows last week's historic visits to China by KMT Chairman Lien Chan (連戰) -- including a groundbreaking meeting with Chinese President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤) -- and James Soong (宋楚瑜), chairman of the People First Party, which also supports unification.
Under the proposed reforms to streamline the legislature, a first-past-the-post voting system would be introduced in 2008, under which only two candidates per constituency would be elected -- one by popular vote and the other by party affiliation.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or
RSS