The Legislative Yuan yesterday confirmed the appointment of Chou Hung-hsien (周弘憲) and Hsu Shu-hsiang (許舒翔) as the new president and vice president of the Examination Yuan respectively.
Lawmakers also approved the appointment of six members of the Examination Yuan, which is responsible for administering national civil servant exams and appointing, training and protecting the rights of civil service personnel.
Chou, the 71-year-old incumbent Examination Yuan vice president, was confirmed by a 59-53 vote in the 113-seat legislature.
Photo: CNA
Hsu, 63, received 112 votes.
Chou has been working in public office for the past 16 years, serving in various positions including in the Examination Yuan and the Executive Yuan, and is a licensed lawyer.
Supreme Prosecutors’ Office prosecutor Ker Li-ling (柯麗鈴) was the only one of President William Lai’s (賴清德) seven Examination Yuan nominees to not be confirmed by the legislature.
The six others who were approved in individual votes include former deputy mayor of Taipei and New Taipei City Teng Chia-Chi (鄧家基), and National Chengchi University Department of Public Administration professor Huang Tong-yi (黃東益).
They also include National Taiwan Ocean University and National Sun Yat-sen University emeritus professor Chiau Wen-yan (邱文彥), former deputy minister of Civil Service Lu Chiu-hui (呂秋慧), former Examination Yuan member Wang Hsiu-hung (王秀紅) and Academy for the Judiciary president Iwan Nawi.
A simple majority is required for Examination Yuan nominees to be confirmed by the legislature.
The ruling Democratic Progressive Party holds 51 seats, while the main opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) holds 52 seats.
Among the remaining seats, two are held by KMT-aligned independents May Chin (高金素梅) and Chen Chao-ming (陳超明), and eight are held by the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP).
Chin, Chen and the entire KMT caucus voted against confirming Chou and Ker.
TPP lawmakers decided to vote against Ker and Iwan Nawi, TPP caucus whip Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) said before the vote.
The TPP voted against Ker due to her lack of understanding and familiarity with the Examination Yuan and its functions in prior questioning, and against Iwan Nawi, as the party believes she did not fulfill her responsibilities as commissioner in the previous term, he said.
However, TPP Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) said she voted incorrectly, accidentally marking both options for Ker on her ballot.
Additional reporting by Lin Hsin-han
SHIPS, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES: The ministry has announced changes to varied transportation industries taking effect soon, with a number of effects for passengers Beginning next month, the post office is canceling signature upon delivery and written inquiry services for international registered small packets in accordance with the new policy of the Universal Postal Union, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday. The new policy does not apply to packets that are to be delivered to China, the ministry said. Senders of international registered small packets would receive a NT$10 rebate on postage if the packets are sent from Jan. 1 to March 31, it added. The ministry said that three other policies are also scheduled to take effect next month. International cruise ship operators
NUMBERS IMBALANCE: More than 4 million Taiwanese have visited China this year, while only about half a million Chinese have visited here Beijing has yet to respond to Taiwan’s requests for negotiation over matters related to the recovery of cross-strait tourism, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. Taiwan’s tourism authority issued the statement after Chinese-language daily the China Times reported yesterday that the government’s policy of banning group tours to China does not stop Taiwanese from visiting the country. As of October, more than 4.2 million had traveled to China this year, exceeding last year. Beijing estimated the number of Taiwanese tourists in China could reach 4.5 million this year. By contrast, only 500,000 Chinese tourists are expected in Taiwan, the report said. The report
The Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency yesterday launched a gift box to market honey “certified by a Formosan black bear” in appreciation of a beekeeper’s amicable interaction with a honey-thieving bear. Beekeeper Chih Ming-chen (池明鎮) in January inspected his bee farm in Hualien County’s Jhuosi Township (卓溪) and found that more than 20 beehives had been destroyed and many hives were eaten, with bear droppings and paw prints near the destroyed hives, the agency said. Chih returned to the farm to move the remaining beehives away that evening when he encountered a Formosan black bear only 20m away, the agency said. The bear
Chinese embassy staffers attempted to interrupt an award ceremony of an international tea competition in France when the organizer introduced Taiwan and displayed the Republic of China flag, a Taiwanese tea farmer said in an interview published today. Hsieh Chung-lin (謝忠霖), chief executive of Juxin Tea Factory from Taichung's Lishan (梨山) area, on Dec. 2 attended the Teas of the World International Contest held at the Peruvian embassy in Paris. Hsieh was awarded a special prize for his Huagang Snow Source Tea by the nonprofit Agency for the Valorization of Agricultural Products (AVPA). During the ceremony, two Chinese embassy staffers in attendance
RSS