The Mainland Affairs Council has tightened regulations to prevent a repeat of the case of China-born former Taiwan People’s Party legislator Li Zhenxiu (李貞秀).
Li, the first Chinese spouse to serve in the legislature, had been embroiled in disputes regarding her nationality and eligibility since she was sworn in earlier this year.
She was expelled from the party last month and lost her seat in the legislature.
Photo: Chen Yu-fu, Taipei Times
When Li registered as a legislator-at-large candidate for the January 2024 legislative elections, she still held a Chinese household registration, which she only canceled in March last year.
Despite this, the Central Election Commission (CEC) allowed her registration as she had a Taiwan ID, leading to disputes over her eligibility as legislator.
Under the new rules, the National Immigration Agency must provide the CEC with information on people in cross-strait marriages who have “renounced their Chinese nationality.”
China-born spouses must submit proof that they have renounced their Chinese nationality and have completed 10 years of residency in Taiwan before they can register as candidates for public office, the council said.
Li’s situation has made it clear election authorities had oversight gaps, an anonymous official said yesterday.
Article 21 of the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例) stipulates that the person must have resided in Taiwan for at least 10 years to be eligible to run for office, and they must have a single household registration for the full decade, they said.
Some spouses in cross-strait marriages hold household registrations in Taiwan and China, but maintaining a Chinese household registration means they do not legally have Taiwanese citizenship and are therefore unqualified to run for public office, the official said.
The immigration agency must provide the CEC with proof that the China-born spouse has renounced their Chinese nationality and that data must be cross-checked with household registration records to avoid issues, they added.
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