The Central Election Commission (CEC) yesterday certified six people to fill vacant at-large legislative seats for the Taiwan People's Party (TPP), including Li Zhenxiu (李貞秀), a naturalized Taiwanese citizen who was born in China.
The TPP, a smaller opposition party in the Legislative Yuan, has a "two-year clause," under which some of its at-large lawmakers are required to step down midterm to allow other candidates on the party list to take over.
Li was among six people certified by the CEC to take over the TPP's at-large seats after Lin Kuo-chen (林國成), Lin Yi-chun (林憶君), Chang Chi-kai (張啓楷), Mai Yu-chen (麥玉珍), Huang Shan-shan (黃珊珊) and party Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) resigned on Sunday.
Photo: Screen grab from Li Zhenxiu’s Facebook page
The terms of Li and the other five — Hung Yu-hsiang (洪毓祥), Tsai Chun-chou (蔡春綢), Wang An-hsiang (王安祥), Chiu Hui-ju (邱慧洳) and Chen Ching-lung (陳清龍) — are to run until the end of the 11th Legislative Yuan's term on Jan. 31, 2028.
Li's inclusion has drawn public attention and questions have been raised over whether she has renounced her People's Republic of China (PRC) nationality, as required under the Nationality Act (國籍法).
For those who have dual nationality, the law requires them to waive the other nationality and submit proof of doing so within a year of taking office.
Although China's Nationality Law allows people to apply for renunciation under certain conditions, such as acquiring another nationality, it remains unclear how the provisions would apply in cases such as Li's, as the PRC does not recognize Taiwan as a foreign sovereign state.
As of press time, Li had not commented on the status of any related administrative procedures.
The CEC said that matters elected candidates must handle under the Nationality Act and other relevant laws fall outside its jurisdiction, and declined to comment further.
Lawmakers subject to the Nationality Act must complete required procedures within the legally specified time frame or face removal in accordance with the law, the Ministry of the Interior said.
The TPP would handle the matter in accordance with existing laws, Huang Kuo-chang said on Friday.
Legal interpretation should follow established institutional processes in Taiwan's democratic system, he added.
A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck off the coast of Yilan County at 8:39pm tonight, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, with no immediate reports of damage or injuries. The epicenter was 38.7km east-northeast of Yilan County Hall at a focal depth of 98.3km, the CWA’s Seismological Center said. The quake’s maximum intensity, which gauges the actual physical effect of a seismic event, was a level 4 on Taiwan’s 7-tier intensity scale, the center said. That intensity level was recorded in Yilan County’s Nanao Township (南澳), Hsinchu County’s Guansi Township (關西), Nantou County’s Hehuanshan (合歡山) and Hualien County’s Yanliao (鹽寮). An intensity of 3 was
Instead of focusing solely on the threat of a full-scale military invasion, the US and its allies must prepare for a potential Chinese “quarantine” of Taiwan enforced through customs inspections, Stanford University Hoover fellow Eyck Freymann said in a Foreign Affairs article published on Wednesday. China could use various “gray zone” tactics in “reconfiguring the regional and ultimately the global economic order without a war,” said Freymann, who is also a nonresident research fellow at the US Naval War College. China might seize control of Taiwan’s links to the outside world by requiring all flights and ships entering or leaving Taiwan
The next minimum wage hike is expected to exceed NT$30,000, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday during an award ceremony honoring “model workers,” including migrant workers, at the Presidential Office ahead of Workers’ Day today. Lai said he wished to thank the awardees on behalf of the nation and extend his most sincere respect for their hard work, on which Taiwan’s prosperity has been built. Lai specifically thanked 10 migrant workers selected for the award, saying that although they left their home countries to further their own goals, their efforts have benefited Taiwan as well. The nation’s industrial sector and small businesses lay
Quarantine awareness posters at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport have gone viral for their use of wordplay. Issued by the airport branch of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency, the posters feature sniffer dogs making a range of facial expressions, paired with advisory messages built around homophones. “We update the messages for holidays and campaign needs, periodically refreshing materials to attract people’s attention,” quarantine officials said. “The aim is to use the dogs’ appeal to draw focus to quarantine regulations.” A Japanese traveler visiting Taiwan has posted a photo on X of a poster showing a quarantine dog with a
RSS