The Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) intends to honor its promise of allowing two lawmakers to share one seat in the Legislative Yuan and will officially announce the swap at the end of the month, the party said.
The party adopted the system of allowing two people to share one legislative seat after the slogan “One vote per family to help the TSU” helped the party garner 8.9 percent of the vote in the 2012 combined elections, TSU Secretary-General Lin Chih-chia (林志嘉) said.
With only two years allotted to each legislator, the party would be able send six members to the legislature, Lin said, adding that as a small party the TSU has limited resources and the system would allow the party to utilize those resources most efficiently.
Lin stepped down as a lawmaker and was replaced by former Greater Kaohsiung councilor Yeh Chin-ling (葉津鈴) in August last year.
The TSU’s two other legislators, Hsu Chung-hsin (許忠信) and Huang Wen-ling (黃文玲), will finish their two-year terms at the end of the month, Lin said.
Their seats will go to National Taipei College of Business dean Lai Chen-chang (賴振昌) and the party’s organization department deputy director Chou Ni-an (周倪安), Lin said, adding that Hsu and Huang would be assuming the position of heads of the TSU Policy Research Committee and the Judiciary Reform Committee respectively.
Lin added that it was possible that both would run in this year’s elections.
Citing its resistance to allowing US beef containing traces of ractopamine to enter the market and its disapproval of the hikes in fuel and electricity prices, Lin said the TSU had accomplished a lot in the past two years, despite its minority presence in the legislature.
Lin added that by supporting the impeachment of President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and opposing the completion of construction of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant in Gongliao Dictrict (貢寮), New Taipei City (新北市), and the proposed cross-strait service trade agreement, the TSU had garnered quite a bit of public support.
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