Instead of cutting to the constitutional amendment chase, National Assembly deputies yesterday bought more time by adopting a non-binding resolution to postpone the May 6 National Assembly re-election.
Central Election Commission (CEC) officials said the election will be held in accordance with the Constitution and election laws, but added that they would call a meeting to discuss how to handle the situation.
The resolution was put forward jointly by the KMT and DPP caucuses, and was passed by a vote of 115 to 29. Deputies from the minority New Party and People First Party were opposed to the move.
Under the resolution, the Assembly is appealing to the Executive Yuan to request the CEC to delay the election until the session is over.
"There will be an answer by May 19 as to whether our efforts at reform have been successful or not," said Liu I-teh (
The May 6 election was set following a March 24 ruling by the Council of Grand Justices which invalidated two constitutional amendments adopted by the Assembly in September 1999 that involved a controversial extension of the deputies' terms.
The constitutional amendment session launched yesterday was a response by KMT and DPP caucuses to the Council of Grand Justices' ruling.
The goal is to marginalize the government body before its term expires on May 19.
Under the reform, the Assembly would become a non-standing body starting May 20, 2000 that would not convene regularly and and would not involve re-election of deputies.
Caught in a bind with little time before May 6 -- and the end of this session set for April 25 -- deputies are trying to buy more time.
"We just need some more time to get things done," explained Tsai Cheng-yuan (
DPP deputy Chiu I-pin (
"The Grand Justices are to blame for the constitutional chaos," Chiu said. "The fact that they have issued this ruling shows that they don't even have any common sense."
Chiu contends that the Council dragged its feet unnecessarily as an interpretation was requested in September 1999, but a ruling didn't come until March 2000.
One KMT deputy, Hsieh Ming-hui (
The New Party and People First Party caucuses, meanwhile, were against postponing the election.
"Postponing the election will mean extending the term," said New Party deputy Tang A-ken (
"Since the election has already been set, what's the point of trying to amend the Constitution in such a rush?" Wu asked.
Taiwanese actress Barbie Hsu (徐熙媛) has died of pneumonia at the age of 48 while on a trip to Japan, where she contracted influenza during the Lunar New Year holiday, her sister confirmed today through an agent. "Our whole family came to Japan for a trip, and my dearest and most kindhearted sister Barbie Hsu died of influenza-induced pneumonia and unfortunately left us," Hsu's sister and talk show hostess Dee Hsu (徐熙娣) said. "I was grateful to be her sister in this life and that we got to care for and spend time with each other. I will always be grateful to
REMINDER: Of the 6.78 million doses of flu vaccine Taiwan purchased for this flu season, about 200,000 are still available, an official said, following Big S’ death As news broke of the death of Taiwanese actress and singer Barbie Hsu (徐熙媛), also known as Big S (大S), from severe flu complications, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and doctors yesterday urged people at high risk to get vaccinated and be alert to signs of severe illness. Hsu’s family yesterday confirmed that the actress died on a family holiday in Japan due to pneumonia during the Lunar New Year holiday. CDC Deputy Director-General Tseng Shu-hui (曾淑慧) told an impromptu news conference that hospital visits for flu-like illnesses from Jan. 19 to Jan. 25 reached 162,352 — the highest
COMBINING FORCES: The 66th Marine Brigade would support the 202nd Military Police Command in its defense of Taipei against ‘decapitation strikes,’ a source said The Marine Corps has deployed more than 100 soldiers and officers of the 66th Marine Brigade to Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport) as part of an effort to bolster defenses around the capital, a source with knowledge of the matter said yesterday. Two weeks ago, a military source said that the Ministry of National Defense ordered the Marine Corps to increase soldier deployments in the Taipei area. The 66th Marine Brigade has been tasked with protecting key areas in Taipei, with the 202nd Military Police Command also continuing to defend the capital. That came after a 2017 decision by the ministry to station
PETITIONS: A Democratic Progressive Party official quoted President William Lai as saying that civil society groups are organizing the recall drives at the grassroots level Some civil society groups yesterday announced that they have collected enough signatures to pass the first-stage threshold to initiate a recall vote against Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators in 18 constituencies nationwide, saying that they would submit the signatures to the Central Election Commission (CEC) today. They also said that they expected to pass the threshold in eight more constituencies in the coming days, meaning the number of KMT legislators facing a recall vote could reach 26. The groups set up stations to collect signatures at local marketplaces and busy commercial districts. The legislators their petition drives target include Fu
RSS