The Cabinet yesterday approved a draft law that would prohibit judges on the Constitutional Court and other judges at various levels from holding membership in any political party, taking part in any party activities during their tenure or running in elections.
If they want to run for public office, they should resign or retire at least one year before registering their candidacy, the proposed legislation stipulates.
The bill will be referred to the Legislative Yuan for review and approval after being signed by the Judicial Yuan and the Examination Yuan. It was initiated through extensive cross-agency discussion and consultations with academics and judicial experts.
It was also stipulated in the bill that the Judicial Yuan should establish a commission to review the performance of judges to weed out those who are incompetent. The draft also required the Judicial Yuan to set up commissions to review appointments, transfers suspensions and dismissals of judges, as well as merits or punishments, to make the personnel system more transparent.
Meanwhile, the Cabinet yesterday also approved an amendment to the Commodity Tax Act (貨物稅條例) and an amendment to the Vehicle License Tax Act (使用牌照稅法), which would exempt buyers of battery-driven vehicles from the taxes.
Also approved by the Cabinet was a draft to legislate the terms of a UN convention to protect women against all forms of discrimination.
If the draft passes the legislature, government agencies at all levels will be bound by gender equality regulations in line with the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Monday called for greater cooperation between Taiwan, Lithuania and the EU to counter threats to information security, including attacks on undersea cables and other critical infrastructure. In a speech at Vilnius University in the Lithuanian capital, Tsai highlighted recent incidents in which vital undersea cables — essential for cross-border data transmission — were severed in the Taiwan Strait and the Baltic Sea over the past year. Taiwanese authorities suspect Chinese sabotage in the incidents near Taiwan’s waters, while EU leaders have said Russia is the likely culprit behind similar breaches in the Baltic. “Taiwan and our European
The Taipei District Court sentenced babysitters Liu Tsai-hsuan (劉彩萱) and Liu Jou-lin (劉若琳) to life and 18 years in prison respectively today for causing the death of a one-year-old boy in December 2023. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said that Liu Tsai-hsuan was entrusted with the care of a one-year-old boy, nicknamed Kai Kai (剴剴), in August 2023 by the Child Welfare League Foundation. From Sept. 1 to Dec. 23 that year, she and her sister Liu Jou-lin allegedly committed acts of abuse against the boy, who was rushed to the hospital with severe injuries on Dec. 24, 2023, but did not
LIKE-MINDED COUNTRIES: Despite the threats from outside, Taiwan and Lithuania thrived and developed their economies, former president Tsai Ing-wen said Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Saturday thanked Lithuania for its support of Taiwan, saying that both countries are united as partners in defending democracy. Speaking at a reception organized by the Lithuania-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Group welcoming her on her first visit to the Baltic state, Tsai said that while she was president from 2016 to last year, many Lithuanian “friends” visited Taiwan. “And I told myself I have to be here. I am very happy that I am here, a wonderful country and wonderful people,” Tsai said. Taiwan and Lithuania are in similar situations as both are neighbors to authoritarian countries, she
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) is to visit the UK during her ongoing European trip, which originally included only Lithuania and Denmark, her office said today. Tsai departed Taiwan for Europe on Friday night, with planned stops in Lithuania and Denmark, marking her second visit to the continent since her two-term presidency ended in May last year. Her office issued a statement today saying that Tsai would also visit the UK "for a few days," during which she is to meet with UK politicians and Taiwanese professionals, and visit academic and research institutions. Following Tsai's stop in Denmark, she is to visit the
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