The legislature yesterday agreed to review the nomination of former Civil Service Minister Wu Rong-ming (
To help the appointment through the legislature, the president met Wang two days ago for the first time since the inauguration to discuss the nomination.
Chen also exchanged opinions with Wang on constitutional amendments, domestic politics and cross-strait relations.
But the pan-blues' dispute with the presidential election was not discussed, as an election fraud lawsuit was still awaiting a judicial decision.
Chen told Wang in person about the nomination and asked for Wang's help to have the legislature approve the appointment. Wang responded in kind, saying that the consent should not be a problem.
The president meanwhile said that the new top officials for the Control Yuan would be nominated after the election dispute ended. The terms for incumbent Control Yuan officials expire early next year.
The Presidential Office officially delivered Wu's appointment order to the Legislative Yuan two days ago. The Legislative Yuan's Procedure Committee agreed yesterday to have the appointment reviewed on June 3 by all committees, and vote on June 4 to consent to or reject the order.
Wang said that the president wanted constitutional amendments reviewed in a comprehensive fashion, including whether Taiwan should adopt a Cabinet or a presidential system.
Chen said that constitutional amendments should not be rushed.
"But I told the president that the Democratic Progressive Party also supported the amendment eagerly before, and it might be inevitable for the constitutional amendment bill for legislative downsizing to encounter a showdown at Friday's sitting," Wang said.
Regarding domestic and international politics, Chen mentioned the pursuit of a peaceful solution for cross-strait relations and the feasibility of a new framework for Taiwan-US-China relations.
Chen said the US could exercise influence in the new framework to help Taiwan initiate talks with China.
Honor guards are to stop performing changing of the guard ceremonies around a statue of Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) to avoid “worshiping authoritarianism,” the Ministry of Culture said yesterday. The fate of the bronze statue has long been the subject of fierce and polarizing debate in Taiwan, which has transformed from an autocracy under Chiang into one of Asia’s most vibrant democracies. The changing of the guard each hour at the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in Taipei is a major tourist attraction, but starting from 9am on Monday, the ceremony is to be moved outdoors to Democracy Boulevard, outside the eponymous blue-and-white memorial
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The government would cancel kendo practitioner Su Yu-cheng’s (蘇郁程) nationality if he is confirmed to have represented China in the World Kendo Championships in Milan, Italy, last week, the Mainland Affairs Council said yesterday. “We have consulted the Sports Administration and were told that athletes participating in the championships must have the nationality of the country that they represent. They must also present their passports as proof,” council spokesperson Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) told a weekly news conference. “If Su indeed represented China in the championships, we suspect that he has obtained Chinese nationality.” The Act Governing Relations Between the People of the
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