The Control Yuan yesterday voted 9-3 to impeach former Central Election Commission (CEC) chairman Chen In-chin (陳英鈐) for allegedly publishing a revised version of the Executive Yuan’s opinions on referendums weeks before several referendums were held alongside the nine-in-one elections on Nov. 24 last year.
The members who voted in favor of impeachment were Eugene Jao (趙永清), Chang Kuei-mei (仉桂美), Chiang Chi-wen (江綺雯), Fang Wan-fu (方萬富), Chiang Ming-tsang (江明蒼), Yang Fang-ling (楊芳玲), Tsai Pei-tsun (蔡培村), Lin Ya-feng (林雅鋒) and Chang Jen-hsiang (章仁香). Lin Sheng-fong (林盛豐), Tsai Chung-yi (蔡崇義) and Kao Yung-chen (高涌誠) voted against.
Control Yuan member Gau Fehng-shian (高鳳仙) initiated an investigation after Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator William Tseng (曾銘宗) and family values group Happiness of the Next Generation Alliance in November last year filed a complaint accusing Chen of breaching the Referendum Act (公民投票法) by publishing the material.
Photo: CNA
The investigation found that the commission on Oct. 24 published an initial version of the opinions regarding the referendums and on Nov. 2 last year published a second version for referendums Nos. 9 to 15, despite the act requiring them to be released 28 days in advance, the Control Yuan said in a written statement.
Chen did not convene a meeting on the matter before republishing the opinions as required by the Organic Law of the Central Election Commission (中選會組織法), the Control Yuan said.
While the Taipei High Administrative Court on Nov. 7 ruled that the commission’s republished opinions were illegal, the CEC did not withdraw them until Nov. 20, after its appeal was dismissed, the Control Yuan said.
To correct its mistake, the commission spent more than NT$9 million (US$295,994) to publish the original version of the opinions in major newspapers, causing the government financial loss and damaging its credibility, the Control Yuan said.
Chen said he respects the Control Yuan’s authority, but added that rules in the act are flawed.
Before republishing the opinions, he had consulted the commission’s Department of Planning and confirmed that there was precedent, he said, adding that the government should explain what referendum results mean as necessary.
The act forced the commission to hold 10 referendums alongside the local elections, giving it limited time to prepare, he said.
It is “regrettable” that the Control Yuan is blaming problems caused by a poor system on him alone, he said.
Of the seven referendums, three were about how same-sex marriage should be handled and two were about whether homosexuality should be taught at elementary and junior-high schools.
One was over whether to maintain restrictions on food imports from Japanese regions after the 2011 Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear disaster and one was about whether to the national team should use “Taiwan” at the Tokyo Olympics next year.
People should avoid eating too many zongzi (粽子, glutinous rice wrapped in bamboo leaves), as consuming several in one meal could cause indigestion, bloating, gastric acid reflux, heartburn and other stomach ailments, a doctor said on Saturday. Zongzi is a traditional delicacy for the Dragon Boat Festival, which was on Thursday. Citing a recent case as an example, Cathay General Hospital gastroenterology department head Chu Yu-ming (朱淯銘) said that a 58-year-old taxi driver surnamed Hsiao (蕭) ate meals at irregular hours due to his work and has been taking diabetes medicine for three years. Hsiao recently bought a bag of zongzi and ate
A Taipei veterinarian is urging pet owners to avoid using insecticides around their homes, as their ingredients can be toxic to pets. Commercial-grade insecticides contain pyrethroids — organic compounds similar to natural pyrethrins, pesticides produced by flowers such as chrysanthemums — in quantities that are harmless to humans, but potentially fatal to cats and dogs, Asian Veterinary Specialist Referral Center veterinarian Chua Man-ling (蔡曼琳) said. Even in small quantities, pyrethroids are hazardous to cats, as they lack the metabolic enzymes needed to process them, Chua said. Cockroach sprays and ant traps are especially dangerous to pets as they contain boric acid, she
While stereotypically considered a household pest that simply will not die, Hung Ting-yang’s (洪鼎揚) experience with Archimandrita tesselata, commonly called the peppered roach, might change a person’s mind. The peppered roach originates in South America, is omnivorous and, as it is capable of growing to 7cm to 9cm long, is a giant compared with other roaches, which have an average length of about 4cm. The peppered roach goes through six separate chrysalis stages and takes nine months to reach full maturity. Mature roaches have wings, but cannot fly and can only glide. They have an average lifespan of three years. As his
The EU’s list of safe nations to which it would reopen borders next week does not include Taiwan, but the Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday said the list has not been finalized and some EU countries have highlighted the importance of “reciprocity.” The provisional list comprises Algeria, Andorra, Australia, Canada, Georgia, Japan, Monaco, Montenegro, Morocco, New Zealand, Rwanda, San Marino, Serbia, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia, Uruguay and the Vatican, the New York Times reported on Friday. The EU said it would add China, considered one of the “acceptable countries,” if it also opens its borders to EU travelers, the newspaper reported. Backed by
RSS