TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) has approved a Cabinet request to try and override an opposition-backed package of legislative amendments, clearing the way for a new vote on June 18 at the earliest, reports said Tuesday (June 11).
The measures included an annual State of the Nation address by the president with a requirement for him to answer questions from lawmakers, a contempt of the legislature law, and a range of investigative powers to be handed to the Legislative Yuan. The package, which was pushed through by the opposition Kuomintang (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), was condemned by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) as unconstitutional.
As part of the procedure to move toward a new vote on the same package, Lai on Tuesday approved the request from the Cabinet announced on June 6, the Liberty Times reported. The Presidential Office passed on the official notification of the presidential decision to the Cabinet and Legislative Yuan on Tuesday morning.
Lai hoped lawmakers from all parties could carefully consider the contents of the laws again, Presidential spokesperson Kuo Ya-hui (郭雅慧) said. They should seek the largest possible legal and constitutional consensus, according to the president.
In the vote, the side that receives the support of at least 57 lawmakers out of 113 will be successful. The KMT and the TPP control 58 seats, while the DPP holds 51. If the attempt to override the legal changes fails, it is expected that the government will ask the Constitutional Court for a ruling.