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Premier and Wang to coordinate over redistricting scheme

Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) and Legislative Yuan Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) will meet to coordinate a redistricting scheme for the next legislative election, Executive Yuan officials said yesterday.

Coordination between the leaders of the nation's executive and legislative branches has become necessary as the next election will adopt a "single-member constituency, two-vote" electoral system to replace the "multi-member constituency" system of the past. The 225-seat legislature will also be cut by half to 113 seats.

According to the Public Officials Election and Recall Law (公職人員選罷法) the Legislative Yuan has to pass a redistricting scheme, worked out by the Central Election Commission, 13 months before the term of the current legislature expires in January 2008.

But as the lawmakers could not agree on some parts of the plan before a Friday deadline, the premier and the legislative speaker have to meet to thrash out the differences according to the law.

Wang said on Friday that he was not clear about how to conduct the coordination, as there is no precedent to follow.

Executive Yuan officials said yesterday that although there was no precedent, arranging a time for both to meet would "serve as a good start."

Asked what would happen if there was still no consensus after the talks, the officials said the two would "handle the matter according to the spirit of the law." Officials refused to speculate further.
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