Central Election Commission (CEC) Chairman Lee Chin-yung (李進勇) yesterday urged the premier to quickly submit a list of nominees to replace outgoing commissioners, warning that failure to approve new members in a timely manner would “bring the CEC’s operations to a standstill.”
Of the CEC’s 10 current commissioners, six are reaching the end of their four-year terms on Nov. 3.
Four of them — including Lee — have already been re-elected once and by law must be replaced.
Photo: Lo Pei-de, Taipei Times
Commissioners must be nominated by the premier three months before the end of the current commissioners’ terms, then approved by the Legislative Yuan.
Based on this schedule, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) was due to nominate successors for the commissioners by August, but he has yet to submit a list to the legislature.
Executive Yuan spokeswoman Michelle Lee (李慧芝) had previously said that the names would be submitted following the start of the new legislative session.
Lee Chin-yung yesterday told a meeting of the legislature’s Internal Administration Committee that he was worried about the nominations, as election-related affairs must not be interrupted.
Local elections are to be held late next year, with related planning — including setting the schedule — to be completed early next year, he said.
However, meetings cannot be held without a quorum of commissioners, which is half of the nine to 11 allowed for under law, he added.
“A vacancy would create a true crisis for the country,” Lee Chin-yung said.
The Executive Yuan is currently seeking candidates, he said, urging potential nominees to shoulder the responsibility.
Additional reporting by Lee Wen-hsin
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