Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus whips were caught off guard yesterday by a motion initiated by a DPP lawmaker to topple the Cabinet.
DPP Legislator Chen Chin-te (陳金德) brought up the motion for legislative review at the beginning of yesterday's plenary session, triggering a flurry of media attention.
Not until Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (
PHOTO: CHIEN JUNG-FONG, TAIPEI TIMES
"Legislator Chen Chin-te and 73 other lawmakers have a no-confidence motion here," Wang said. "As the legislature will go into recess [tomorrow] ... we are going to take a break now and negotiate [the issue]," Wang said on the legislative floor.
Wang's handling of the motion gave the DPP caucus leeway to defuse the "crisis," but Chen complained that the speaker didn't deal with the motion in accordance with the Law Governing the Legislative Yuan's Power (立法院職權行使法).
DPP lawmakers who cosigned the motion were asked by the DPP caucus to remove their names, with Legislator Gao Jyh-peng (
Chen finally agreed to back off after a long-talk with Gao, DPP caucus whips Ker Chien-ming (
"It's not the right time to bring up a no-confidence motion since the long-stalled central government budget has already been put on top of the agenda for [today's] session and decoupled from the Central Election Commission bill," Wang Sing-nan said.
But Chen said the speaker should have followed proper procedure after receiving the motion, instead of calling for negotiation.
Article 37 states that a plenary session should be called to vote on the no-confidence motion within 72 hours of the petition being filed, Chen said.
Chen drafted the motion on June 1, saying his objective was not to boycott the Cabinet but to put an end to disputes in the legislature.
The Constitution stipulates that the president may, within 10 days after legislative approval of a no-confidence vote against the premier, dissolve the legislature.
Pan-blue lawmakers yesterday called Chen's move a "farce."
The Presidential Office yesterday declined to comment on the botched no-confidence motion, saying only that they "knew about it and understood."
Presidential Office Deputy Secretary-General Cho Jung-tai (
However, he added, with the long-stalled government budget on the legislative agenda, it would be wise for lawmakers to weigh up the situation before making a decision.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY KO SHU-LING
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