The Legislative Yuan today rejected the Executive Yuan’s proposal to reconsider an amendment to the Public Officials Election and Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法) by a vote of 60 to 51.
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) outvoted the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), although two TPP legislators were absent from the vote.
On Dec. 20 last year, the Legislative Yuan passed the controversial bill that requires signatories of recall petitions to submit a copy of their ID card and stipulates punishments of up to five years imprisonment or a fine of up to NT$1 million (US$30,461).
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
On Jan. 24, the legislature submitted the amendments to the Cabinet for promulgation.
The Cabinet asked lawmakers to reconsider the changes, saying they would be difficult to implement.
Among other issues, the Cabinet said that the amendment would make it more difficult to recall elected officials, “exceedingly restricting” the public’s right to recall and “significantly increasing the burden” of local electoral authorities.
After cross-party negotiations, the legislature decided to reconsider the amendment today, but did not invite Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) to present the Cabinet’s rationale.
The KMT and DPP each nominated three speakers to present on behalf of their parties, while the TPP had one, followed by a vote.
After an hour and a half, 60 lawmakers from the KMT and TPP voted in favor of maintaining the original amendment, while all 51 DPP lawmakers voted to reconsider.
Regarding the two absent members of the TPP, the party said they had prior commitments and had alerted the party in advance of their absence.
The Constitution states that if more than half of the Legislative Yuan, or 57 lawmakers, vote to maintain the original bill, then the Executive Yuan must accept the resolution.
SPACE VETERAN: Kjell N. Lindgren, who helps lead NASA’s human spaceflight missions, has been on two expeditions on the ISS and has spent 311 days in space Taiwan-born US astronaut Kjell N. Lindgren is to visit Taiwan to promote technological partnerships through one of the programs organized by the US for its 250th national anniversary. Lindgren would be in Taiwan from Tuesday to Saturday next week as part of the US Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ US Speaker Program, organized to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said in a statement yesterday. Lindgren plans to engage with key leaders across the nation “to advance cutting-edge technological partnerships and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers,”
UNREASONABLE SURVEILLANCE: A camera targeted on an road by a neighbor captured a man’s habitual unsignaled turn into home, netting him dozens of tickets The Taichung High Administrative Court has canceled all 45 tickets given to a man for failing to use a turn signal while driving, as it considered long-term surveillance of his privacy more problematic than the traffic violations. The man, surnamed Tseng (曾), lives in Changhua County and was reported 45 times within a month for failing to signal while driving when he turned into the alley where his residence is. The reports were filed by his neighbor, who set up security cameras that constantly monitored not only the alley but also the door and yard of Tseng’s house. The surveillance occurred from July
A Japan Self-Defense Forces vessel entered the Taiwan Strait yesterday, Japanese media reported. After passing through the Taiwan Strait, the Ikazuchi was to proceed to the South China Sea to take part in a joint military exercise with the US and the Philippines, the reports said. Japan Self-Defense Force vessels were first reported to have passed through the strait in September, 2024, with two further transits taking place in February and June last year, the Asahi Shimbun reported. Yesterday’s transit also marked the first time since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi took office that a Japanese warship has been sent through the Taiwan
‘SAME OLD TRICK’: Even if Beijing resumes individual travel to Taiwan, it would only benefit Chinese tourism companies, the Economic Democracy Union convener said China’s 10 new “incentives” are “sugar-coated poison,” an official said yesterday, adding that Taiwanese businesses see them clearly for what they are, but that Beijing would inevitably find some local collaborators to try to drums up support. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, made the remark ahead of a news conference the General Chamber of Commerce is to hold today. The event, titled “Industry Perspectives on China’s Recent Pro-Taiwan Policies,” is expected to include representatives from industry associations — such as those in travel, hotels, food and agriculture — to request the government cooperate with China’s new measures, people familiar with
RSS