After three rounds of voting at the presidium of the National Assembly, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) representative Yeh Chun-jung (
Given that both the DPP and the KMT recommended their own candidates for the position of secretary-general of the National Assembly and controlled a nearly equal number of votes in the presidium, filling the post of secretary-general required three rounds of voting.
VOTING
The 11-member presidium has five representatives from the DPP, four from the KMT, one from the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) and one from the People First Party (PFP), in accordance to the percentage of seats that each party obtained in the National Assembly.
The pan-green camp could have secured the post of secretary-general with one round of voting because of its majority of six delegates in the presidium, but TSU presidium member Annie Lee (
The PFP also wanted to have a forum on constitutional issues to voice their stance during the National Assembly meeting, and asked the KMT to vote for PFP candidate Edward Chen (
DELAYS
Because of the TSU and PFP's insistence, the first two rounds of voting did not produce a winner, because none of the candidates obtained more than six ballots.
Lee casted an invalid ballot during the first and second voting rounds, but then changed her attitude and voted for Yeh during the third round of voting, after discussions with DPP delegates.
Yeh took the post of secretary-general, defeating the KMT candidate, Chen Wu-hsiung (陳武雄), 6 to 5.
The presidium will hold a meeting to discuss the schedule and the agenda of the assembly this afternoon at 2pm.
The DPP hopes the agenda can be shortened to one week and convene the first session before Friday.
The KMT prefers a plan put forward by the Legislative Yuan, and wants the assembly to open on June 7 and close on June 10.
NO DELAYS
As for the TSU and PFP's demand of setting up a forum on constitutional issues, the president of the presidium, DPP delegate Yeh Chu-lan (
The TSU and the PFP requested more than the constitutional forum. The two small parties argued that the low turnout for the National Assembly elections held on May 14 was too low to represent public opinion.
TSU caucus whip Lo Chih-ming (
The TSU and the PFP also oppose the DPP and the KMT's motion that a second vote is needed if an amendment is not passed during the first round of voting, saying the motion is unconstitutional and that they will definitely boycott it.
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
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) supports peaceful unification with China, and President William Lai (賴清德) is “a bit naive” for being a “practical worker for Taiwanese independence,” former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) said in an interview published yesterday. Asked about whether the KMT is on the same page as the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) on the issue of Taiwanese independence or unification with China, Ma told the Malaysian Chinese-language newspaper Sin Chew Daily that they are not. While the KMT supports peaceful unification and is against unification by force, the DPP opposes unification as such and
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
FATAL ILLNESS: Untreated symptoms can rapidly worsen to complications such as high fever, seizures and loss of consciousness, and can be life-threatening, a doctor said Hospitals have been reporting dozens of people with heat-related illnesses every day over the past week, given continuous high daytime temperatures, so recognizing the early signs of heatstroke is crucial in preventing serious complications, a Taipei City Hospital emergency physician said. The Central Weather Administration yesterday issued a heat alert for 19 cities and counties across Taiwan, with temperatures in New Taipei City, Miaoli County and Pingtung County likely to exceed 38°C, and temperatures in 12 cities and counties likely to exceed 36°C for three days straight. More than a dozen people were taken to hospitals for heat-related illnesses every day from