Senior presidential adviser and former vice premier Yeh Chu-lan (葉菊蘭) will likely be named the speaker of the National Assembly, which will be tasked with completing the constitutional amendments passed by the legislature last August, according to the list of nominees the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) unveiled yesterday.
In a news conference held after the party's central executive committee, the DPP yesterday listed 150 nominees for the National Assembly Representatives' election that is scheduled to be held on May 14. The most prominent name on the list was Yeh, who is ranked as the first nominee. Several former lawmakers who lost their re-election bids were also on the list.
According to the law governing the National Assembly's exercise of power (國民大會職權行使法), the party that wins the largest number of seats in the election will be able to recommend that its candidate serve as the speaker of the National Assembly.
In terms of past election results, the DPP has been the party that won the most seats and therefore Yeh will probably become the leader of the 300 National Assembly representatives, who must finalize the four constitutional amendments that were passed by the legislature on Aug. 23.
The new representatives will have to implement the four constitutional amendments in July. The amendments include a downsizing bill that will cut the number of legislative seats from 225 to 113 starting in 2008, and which would also extend legislators' terms from three years to four years. The bill also mandates the adoption of a new electoral system -- known as the "single-member district, two-vote system" -- to replace the existing "multi-member district, single-vote system."
The third bill is to revise the Referendum Law to make it a part of the Constitution. The fourth bill is to abolish the existence of the National Assembly.
However, the law governing the National Assembly's exercise of power has not been passed yet by the Legislative Yuan. If the Legislative Yuan fails to pass the law, it will prevent the constitutional amendments from being implemented.
Except for Yeh Chun-jung (
Meanwhile, because of an insufficient budget for the March 26 rally, DPP Chairman Su Tseng-chang (
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