Despite coming under pressure from the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) to step down, Central Election Commission Chairman Chang Cheng-hsiung (張政雄) yesterday said that he would stay put until his term expires, unless President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) wants to relieve him of his duties.
Chang, who delivered a report to the legislature’s Judiciary, Organic Laws and Statutes Committee yesterday morning, came under fire for failing to resign along with the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Cabinet following the DPP’s defeat in March’s presidential election.
“I did not do anything wrong, why should I resign?” Chang said, arguing that his term is protected by law until June 2010 because the commission is an independent body.
When pressed, Chang said he will “abide by the law” if Premier Liu Chao-shiuan (劉兆玄) recommended to Ma that he should be replaced.
KMT Legislator Wu Yu-sheng (吳育昇), who once called Chang “shameless,” said that his term should not be protected because Chang used the same argument in January when former Taipei City Election Commission chairman Samuel Wu (吳秀光) and Taichung City Election Commission chairman Hsiao Chia-chi (蕭家旗) were replaced at the height of an election dispute.
part-time
Chang, however, rejoined by saying that his claim was based on the fact that Wu and Hsiao worked part-time. Besides, they defied the CEC’s decision to hold “one-stage” voting for the legislative election held in conjunction with referendums, Chang said.
The “one-stage” format means that when voters enter polling stations they are issued ballots for both elections and referendums at the same time.
Wu asked Chang to follow the example of outgoing representative to the US Joseph Wu (吳釗燮), who has already tendered his resignation.
KMT Legislator Chiu Yi (邱毅) criticized Chang for being biased. He described him as a “spineless coward who only knew how to fawn upon his supervisor” and a “servile follower” of former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁).
Visibly displeased by Chiu’s remarks, Chang requested committee chair KMT Legislator Hsieh Kuo-liang (謝國樑) restrain Chiu and handle the matter fairly. Hsieh, however, said that he was fairer than Chang.
rude
KMT Legislator Lu Hsueh-chang (呂學樟) threw his backing behind Chiu and criticized Chang for being rude to Hsieh.
Lu also requested Chang apologize for being partial by intimidating election affairs personnel in the run-up to the legislative election to protect the DPP’s interests thereby tarnishing the image of the independent agency.
To save money and manpower, Chang said, it was a global trend to combine elections and referendums.
Meanwhile, the same committee yesterday agreed to return property improperly confiscated by the state during the Martial Law era, but failed to see eye to eye on the details.
The committee decided to conduct cross-party negotiations before draft amendments to the Statute Governing the Recovery of People’s Rights Damaged During the Period of Martial Law (戒嚴時期人民受損權利回復條例) proceeds to a plenary legislative session for debate.
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