Forty-six political groups, including the National Women’s League, have not yet transitioned into political parties and if they fail to do so by Dec. 7, they would be dissolved in accordance with the law, the Ministry of the Interior said in a statement on Sunday.
According to the Political Parties Act (政黨法), which took effect on Dec. 6, 2017, political parties that filed declarations in accordance with the Civil Associations Act (人民團體法) prior to the enactment of the parties act must revise their charters within two years following its promulgation, while political groups are required to revise their charters and transition into political parties and complete legal person registration by the same deadline.
Thirty-eight of the 291 political parties established under the associations act have revised their charters, but only three political groups have done so and transitioned into political parties, with 46 failing or refusing to do so, the ministry said.
One of these is the National Women’s League, which has said that the rules violate the Republic of China (ROC) Constitution and that it would practice civil disobedience in protest.
The league voted against transitioning into a political party at a provisional members’ meeting on Oct. 16, league chairwoman Joanna Lei (雷倩) said, adding that it is considering transforming the group into a public welfare foundation.
The league is also suing the government over a decision to freeze its assets, estimated at NT$38.8 billion (US$1.3 billion), and impose other penalties after the Ill-gotten Party Assets Settlement Committee determined that it was a Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT)-affiliated organization.
Since the promulgation of the parties act, 60 parties have reported to the ministry that they have disbanded due to loss of members or lack of funds.
The parties act defines “political parties” as entities consisting of ROC citizens with a common political ideology who safeguard the free, democratic, constitutional order, assist in shaping the political will of the people and nominate candidates for election to public office.
The main purpose in establishing a political party is to promote political participation by nominating candidates to campaign for election to public office, the ministry said.
Parties that fail to convene a representative assembly or party congress for four consecutive years or fail to comply with the regulations governing the nomination of candidates to campaign in elections for public office for four consecutive years could be dissolved, the parties act says.
Those that fail to complete legal person registration within one year after filing also face dissolution, it says.
Political parties must submit annual property and financial statements before May 31 each year, it says.
The 60 political parties that failed to file a financial declaration this year have each been fined NT$1 million, while 11 parties that inadequately revised or delayed filing financial statements were fined NT$200,000, the ministry said.
As of Wednesday last week, 18 new political parties have been established in accordance with the parties act, while four are in the process of applying for political party status, ministry statistics showed.
Taiwan is to commence mass production of the Tien Kung (天弓, “Sky Bow”) III, IV and V missiles by the second quarter of this year if the legislature approves the government’s NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.78 billion) special defense budget, an official said yesterday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, a defense official with knowledge of the matter said that the advanced systems are expected to provide crucial capabilities against ballistic and cruise missiles for the proposed “T-Dome,” an advanced, multi-layered air defense network. The Tien Kung III is an air defense missile with a maximum interception altitude of 35km. The Tien Kung IV and V
The disruption of 941 flights in and out of Taiwan due to China’s large-scale military exercises was no accident, but rather the result of a “quasi-blockade” used to simulate creating the air and sea routes needed for an amphibious landing, a military expert said. The disruptions occurred on Tuesday and lasted about 10 hours as China conducted live-fire drills in the Taiwan Strait. The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said the exercises affected 857 international flights and 84 domestic flights, affecting more than 100,000 travelers. Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲), a research fellow at the government-sponsored Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said the air
Taiwan lacks effective and cost-efficient armaments to intercept rockets, making the planned “T-Dome” interception system necessary, two experts said on Tuesday. The concerns were raised after China’s military fired two waves of rockets during live-fire drills around Taiwan on Tuesday, part of two-day exercises code-named “Justice Mission 2025.” The first wave involved 17 rockets launched at 9am from Pingtan in China’s Fujian Province, according to Lieutenant General Hsieh Jih-sheng (謝日升) of the Office of the Deputy Chief of the General Staff for Intelligence at the Ministry of National Defense. Those rockets landed 70 nautical miles (129.6km) northeast of Keelung without flying over Taiwan,
A strong continental cold air mass is to bring pollutants to Taiwan from tomorrow, the Ministry of Environment said today, as it issued an “orange” air quality alert for most of the country. All of Taiwan except for Hualien and Taitung counties is to be under an “orange” air quality alert tomorrow, indicating air quality that is unhealthy for sensitive groups. In China, areas from Shandong to Shanghai have been enveloped in haze since Saturday, the ministry said in a news release. Yesterday, hourly concentrations of PM2.5 in these areas ranged from 65 to 160 micrograms per cubic meter (mg/m³), and pollutants were
RSS