The Legislative Yuan voted on four nominees to the Fair Trade Commission (FTC) today, voting along party lines to reject two and approve another two.
The Executive Yuan put forth nominees for the commission on Oct. 30 last year, as four members’ terms are to end on Jan. 31.
It nominated current Chairperson Lee May (李鎂), Vice Chairperson Andy Chen (陳志民) and Commissioner Hong Tsai-lung (洪財隆) for reappointment, and Department of Service Industry Competition Director Lin Ching-tang (林慶堂) to be a new commissioner.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
The Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) caucus decided to vote against Lee and Hong and in favor of Chen and Lin, TPP caucus whip Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) told a news conference prior to voting.
Hong requested that PX Mart donate to sports and chess activities during the commission’s review of PX Mart’s acquisition of RT-Mart in July 2022, Huang said.
Subsequently, PX Mart donated to the chess association with which Hong is frequently involved, he said.
As chairperson, Lee failed to stop Hong’s “coercive” donation, he said.
On the other hand, Chen demonstrated “moral courage” during the Legislative Yuan’s recent review, saying he had reminded those present to prohibit improper connections during the review process, Huang said.
Although the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus did not explicitly state its position, reports suggested it would follow the same decision as the TPP.
Voting took place from 10am to 10:50am.
Lee received 52 votes in favor and 61 votes against, and Hong received 51 votes in favor and 62 votes against, while Lin and Chen both received 113 votes in favor and no votes against.
Independent Legislator Chen Chao-ming (陳超明), who typically aligns with the KMT caucus, voted in favor of Lee.
Lee and Hong were not approved by the legislature, as votes in their favor did not exceed the required 50 percent, Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) said.
Chen and Lin were approved to serve four-year terms as vice chairperson and commissioner respectively from Feb. 1, 2025 to Jan. 31, 2029.
With 113 current legislators, at least 57 votes in favor are required for approval.
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