TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Legislative Yuan on Friday voted down all of President Lai Ching-te’s (賴清德) nominees for the Constitutional Court, marking a significant political setback for the administration.
While five of the seven nominees received support from the DPP but were uniformly rejected by opposition parties, two picks, Chen Tzu-yang (陳慈陽) and Chan Chen-jung (詹鎮榮), failed to secure unified backing from within the DPP, per UDN. Several DPP lawmakers, including senior figures like legislative caucus convener Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘), voted against the nominations.
TPP Legislator Chen Chih-han (陳智菡) said the internal dissent could indicate growing disunity within the ruling party, per UDN. CM Media reported that with nearly half of DPP lawmakers opposing the two nominees, the administration may need to rethink its nomination strategy to achieve greater consensus within its own ranks and with opposition parties.
The KMT legislative caucus said that while the nominees demonstrated individual expertise, they lacked the courage to address contentious constitutional issues directly, per Liberty Times. KMT Legislator Hsu Yu-chen (許宇甄) added the party was looking for nominees who demonstrated neutrality and independence, qualities she said were lacking among the nominees.
The TPP legislative caucus echoed these criticisms, accusing Lai of attempting to consolidate influence over the judiciary, per ETtoday. TPP Chair Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) specifically criticized Judicial Yuan President nominee Tsai Chiu-ming (蔡秋明), arguing that he lacks basic understanding of the Judicial Yuan’s daily operations.
According to Liberty Times, judicial insiders said that under recent amendments to the Constitutional Court Procedure Act, at least 10 justices are required for the court to function properly. A KMT insider told UDN that opposition parties remain wary the court could be used as a political tool to restrict their influence.
Taiwanese Public Opinion Foundation Chair You Ying-lung (游盈隆) echoed the observation, suggesting that the incoming recall elections may be the sole solution to the legislative deadlock, per Newtalk. He added that regardless of the outcome, constitutional reform may become a defining priority of Lai’s term.
