The Presidential Office said yesterday that the Taiwan Solidarity Union was the only party that had complied with a request made by President Chen Shui-bian (
"We are still waiting [for the other parties' recommendations]," the Presidential Office said.
The Presidential Office sent a letter to political parties on Dec. 26, asking them to recommend candidates for the Control Yuan within a week.
At the request of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and People First Party (PFP), the time allotted was then extended from a week to a month.
At the time, KMT Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) praised the president's "act of goodwill" but said his party needed at least a month to make its recommendations.
The Democratic Progressive Party decided not to recommend any candidates, with Secretary-General Lin Chia-lung saying that it was inappropriate for parties to nominate candidates for a body that is supposed to be free of political interference.
The president's request for parties to make recommendations led to rumors that Chen would nominate Control Yuan members in accordance with the number of seats each party holds in the legislature, but the Presidential Office later denied this.
The Control Yuan, the watchdog of the four other branches of government, has been idle since the term of its last members expired in January 2005 because the opposition-controlled legislature has repeatedly blocked Chen's attempts to nominate new members.
The KMT placed an advertisement calling on the public to make recommendations for Control Yuan nominees and had received 122 suggestions by Jan. 23.
However, PFP Spokesman Lee Hung-chun (
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