Legislature to go overtime, but further deadlock likely

The legislature yesterday approved a motion to extend the current session despite opposition from pan-green lawmakers.

The session was originally scheduled to end next Thursday.

Pan-blue lawmakers yesterday proposed a motion calling for extending the session to June 15.

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) lawmakers boycotted the motion, saying they would only support the extension if the government budget bill would be the first item to be reviewed.

But given the pan-blue majority, the motion to extend the session passed.

Meanwhile, the DPP and the TSU's request to move the budget bill up on the agenda was voted down by the pan-blues.

The budget remains stalled as Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers have been using it as a bargaining chip for the DPP to support a review of the KMT-backed Central Election Commission (CEC) bill.

The KMT proposal recommends that CEC members be selected by political parties in proportion to the number of their legislative seats, replacing the current system, under which they are designated by the premier and appointed by the president.

KMT lawmakers have refused to review the budget bill ahead of the CEC bill unless the DPP gives in to its demands.

Later yesterday, Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) again convened a meeting attended by the KMT and DPP caucus whips at his residence, but they still failed to reach consensus on the CEC bill and two other DPP-proposed amendments that would allow the holding of a referendum and national election on the same day.

Premier Chang Chun-hsiung (張俊雄) said yesterday that economic growth had slowed as a result of the legislative deadlock, which had impeded local governments' ability to implement welfare programs.

"If the bill remains stalled for one more month, in June, local governments would experience financial difficulties in repairing classrooms and bridges and providing aid and grants to poor students," Chang told reporters, while urging the legislature to speed up the budget review.