The Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) will soon propose amending the Presidential and Vice Presidential Election and Recall Law (總統副總統選舉罷免法) to prohibit people born outside of ROC territory from running for president, according to TSU Legislator Liao Pen-yen (廖本煙).
The TSU geographically defines the ROC as Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu.
PHOTO: GEORGE TSORNG, TAIPEI TIMES
The proposal -- which triggered fierce criticism from opposition politicians since it was first raised earlier this month -- has garnered the endorsement of the 30 lawmakers required for the bill to be heard on the legislative floor. It will be presented to the legislature for discussion in two days.
The draft says that the proposal is the result of concern that as contact between both sides of the Strait grows, the number of intermarriages between Taiwanese and mainland Chinese will increase, making it necessary to protect national security by barring a Chinese spouse from running for the presidency.
The proposal also indicates that the Chilean, Argentine and Philippine governments, among others, have similar regulations.
The TSU lawmaker raised the issue again during the first interpellation at the legislature to seek Premier Yu Shyi-kun's opinion.
Yu said that, as the requirements for presidential candidates differ from country to country, the Executive Yuan would have to first hear the opinions of the public before it can provide its own views, which he said it would do within six months.
Many opposition politicians have suggested that the move is meant to prevent Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (
Shangren Lee (
Minister of the Interior Yu Cheng-hsien (
The minister explained that because the government grants citizenship on the basis of a child's parents' nationalities, the proposal goes against rights guaranteed in the Constitution.
He also said that the current criteria for presidential and vice-presidential candidates are already sufficiently strict.
Under the Presidential and Vice Presidential Election and Recall Law, citizens originally holding Chinese or other countries' citizenship are not allowed to run for either office and candidates must be nominated by political parties or cosigned by at least 230,000 voters.
The DPP also disagrees with the proposal.
DPP Deputy Secretary General You Ying-lung (
The Ministry of the Interior proposed an amendment to the Presidential and Vice Presidential Election and Recall Law to the legislature last year, but the proposal was not passed.
The amendment sought to bar recalls of presidents and vice presidents in office for less than a year and also called for party candidates in elections to be party members. It also sought to require voters to have be residents of Taiwan for at least six months prior to an election.
Liu Wen-shih (
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