Civil groups are urging “Bluebird movement” protesters to gather outside the Legislative Yuan in Taipei tonight to call on legislators facing recall to refrain from making decisions on major controversial bills before the results of their recall votes are released.
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) should take an “observer” role in important decisions on amendments affecting issues from the special budget to the Control Yuan until the results are released for the 26 KMT legislators facing recall votes on July 26 and Aug. 23, the Taiwan Citizen Front and the Taiwan Economic Democracy Union said yesterday.
The Bluebird movement began during protests against legislative reform bills proposed by the KMT and the TPP last year.
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
The Taipei City Police Department’s Zhongzheng First Precinct yesterday announced that traffic control measures would be implemented.
Legislative sessions are to be held tomorrow, on Tuesday and Friday next week, and on July 22 and 29, during which the legislature could pass major controversial bills, the Taiwan Economic Democracy Union said.
Bills up for discussion include amendments to the Budget Act (預算法) that would reallocate NT$150 billion (US$5.15 billion) of a special budget set aside for whole-of-society resilience as NT$10,000 cash handouts, it said.
They also include amendments to the Public Officials Election and Recall Act (公職人員選罷法) to address absentee voting, the union said.
The legislature is set to discuss amendments to the Organic Act of the Control Yuan National Human Rights Commission (監察院國家人權委員會組織法) that would require members to have passed the Senior Civil Service Examination and have 15 years of professional experience, it said.
Moreover, amendments to the Organic Law of the Control Yuan (監察院組織法) are up for consideration, which would prohibit those who have participated in political parties within 10 years from serving as members of the Control Yuan, it said.
The Act Governing the Legislative Yuan’s Power (立法院職權行使法) and the Organic Act of the Legislative Yuan (立法院組織法) do not place restrictions on legislators facing recall, the union said.
The groups have been granted an assembly permit for midday until 10pm today, the police department said.
From midday, all traffic lanes in both directions on Qingdao E Road would be closed to vehicles until 11pm, though restrictions do not include Zhongshan S Road to Zhenjiang Street, it said.
From 6:30pm today, if the number of participants exceeds the allowance for the designated assembly area, police would expand traffic control measures to include lanes of Zhongshan S Road, it said, urging drivers to watch their speed, remain alert, and follow instructions from police officers and volunteers.
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