President William Lai (賴清德) today formally signed a set of legislative reform bills into law, but said he would seek a constitutional interpretation and temporary injunction to try and stop the controversial changes from being enforced.
The Legislative Yuan on Friday voted down a request from the Cabinet to reconsider the bills that were passed by opposition lawmakers late last month.
The amendments to the Act Governing the Legislative Yuan’s Power (立法院職權行使法) and the Criminal Code seek to expand the legislature’s powers of investigation, imposing penalties for holding the legislature in contempt and requiring the president to take questions from lawmakers.
Photo: CNA
As the legislature turned down the Cabinet’s request for another round of deliberation, the president by law is required to accept the bills.
In his first address from the Presidential Office entrance hall as president this morning, Lai said he has already signed the bills and would promulgate them later today.
However, aside from public criticism over the legislative process that led to their passage, the amendments also risk jeopardizing the separation of powers and system of checks and balances between the branches of government, Lai said.
He therefore vowed to file for a constitutional interpretation, as well as call for a temporary injunction on their enforcement until the courts can rule on their legality.
“Our opposition to this expansion of the legislature’s powers does not mean we are opposed to legislative reform,” he said. “The legislature needs reform, but its powers should not be expanded arbitrarily.”
Most importantly, the legislature’s powers must not infringe on the people’s basic rights to privacy, trade secrets and the right to remain silent, he added.
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