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Wang warns pan-blue legislators to be cautious over drive to topple premier

Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) called on the pan-blue camp yesterday to be cautious about launching a no-confidence vote against Premier Chang Chun-hsiung (張俊雄), saying that political stability should be kept in mind.

"A motion to topple the Cabinet would cause destruction on both sides," Wang said when asked to respond to a report in the Chinese-language China Times yesterday.

The newspaper said the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the People First Party (PFP) had reached a deal to schedule a vote as early as June 9, when the parties will have finished their nominations for the year-end legislative polls.

"An effort to topple the Cabinet needs to be done cautiously. There is only one precedent, and that failed," Wang said, referring to a no-confidence vote against Vincent Siew (蕭萬長) on Feb. 26, 1999.

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) proposed the vote to protest the KMT's nomination of Siew as vice president Lien Chan's (連戰) running mate, while having him remain premier.

KMT Secretary-General Wu Den-yi (吳敦義) denied the party has reached a decision on a no-confidence vote, saying it would see how Chang performs.

KMT caucus whip Tseng Yung-chuan (曾永權) said a petition to file a no-confidence vote would require the vote of at least two-thirds of KMT caucus members.

Also see story:
Editorial: A no-confidence vote may backfire

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