Judicial Reform Foundation members and a group of civic organizations yesterday announced they would hold a rally on Friday demanding that the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) withdraw proposals to amend the Constitutional Court Procedure Act (憲法訴訟法).
KMT Legislator Weng Hsiao-ling (翁曉玲) has proposed specifying that the Constitutional Court must consist of 15 justices and that a two-thirds majority would be needed to issue a ruling.
The groups accused Weng and the KMT of using political ploys to destroy Taiwan’s constitutional democracy, abusing legislative authority to undermine the proper functioning of the judiciary and denying citizens their right to request a constitutional interpretation.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
They also said the proposal to raise the threshold was a major retrogression for the judicial reform movement and that paralyzing the Constitutional Court would create a constitutional crisis and lead to the dismantling of Taiwan’s democratic framework.
In a joint statement, the groups voiced five demands:
First, that Weng withdraw the bills immediately and apologize to the public.
Second, that TPP legislators oppose the amendments.
Third, legislators must not proceed with the amendment before ratifying the new nominees for Constitutional Court justices, as that would paralyze the Constitutional Court.
Fourth, the Legislative Yuan should listen to the opinions and suggestions of legal experts, civic society groups and all sectors of society regarding the amendments and the impact of such changes.
Lastly, legislators should take into account gender equality and the rights of workers, marginalized groups, indigenous peoples and the underprivileged.
Legislators, regardless of their political affiliations, must protect and maintain the functionality of the Constitutional Court, the groups said in the statement.
The event, titled “Defend the Constitution,” is to start on Friday evening outside the Legislative Yuan.
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