Executive Yuan Spokesman Su Jun-pin (蘇俊賓) yesterday dismissed allegations that Premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) intervened with the Central Election Commission’s (CEC) review of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lin Ming-chun’s (林明溱) candidacy qualifications when Wu was a lawmaker.
“There was no such a thing. The Executive Yuan did not change its position that the Central Election Commission is an agency that should be operated independently of outside interference,” Su said.
He was responding to remarks made by CEC member Chao Shu-chien (趙叔鍵) on Saturday.
Chao said that in 2007, Wu, as KMT secretary-general, asked him to cut Lin some slack when reviewing Lin’s qualification to be a legislative candidate.
Lin’s status was controversial because he was given probation in a vote-buying case in 2002.
Anyone convicted of vote buying is barred from running for public office.
Chao cleared Lin during a CEC meeting by arguing that the Nantou Election Commission had already qualified Lin to run for Nantou County commissioner despite his conviction.
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chen Ting-fei (陳亭妃) said yesterday that the KMT would be engaged in more illegal lobbying now that Wu was premier.
KMT Legislator Chiu Yi (邱毅), however, said it was acceptable for Wu to call Chao because Wu had been acting as party official in helping a KMT candidate communicate with the commission
Lin shrugged off the controversy, saying that he had been qualified to run for a legislative seat.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY SHIH HSIU-CHUAN
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