TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Seven nominees for the Central Election Commission visited the Legislative Yuan on Friday urging opposition lawmakers to approve their appointments.
Led by Cabinet Secretary-General Xavier Chang (張惇涵) and the Lai administration’s nominee for CEC chair, You Ying-lung (游盈隆). You said the Cabinet has been shown goodwill in their selection of CEC nominees and urged the TPP to show consideration for Taiwan’s democratic institutions and approve the slate of nominees, reported LTN.
Taiwan’s CEC currently has four sitting members, which is one person short of the number required for quorum. As a result of opposition lawmakers’ unwillingness to approve nominees submitted by the Lai administration the CEC has been unable to hold meetings for almost three months, per LTN.
You, the founder of the Taiwan Public Opinion Foundation, said the administration asked opposition parties for their input before selecting the nominees.
According to the law governing the CEC, the commission may have a maximum of 11 members, with a minimum of five required to hold meetings. Additionally, adopting a resolution requires the consent of a majority of those present to be binding.
The law also stipulates that the premier must nominate and appoint new members three months before a commissioner’s term of office ends. With the upcoming municipal elections and absentee voting a major issue under consideration by the CEC, the Cabinet hopes for the swift approval of the current slate of nominees.
TPP Chair Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) asked the nominees to complete a questionnaire and said the party’s Internal affairs Committee will promptly review the nominees, reported UDN. The TPP caucus party list legislators will undergo a reshuffle Feb. 1, so voting on the CEC nominees will likely be one of the first actions of the new caucus.
In addition to You Ying-lung, the Cabinet’s CEC nominees include: Soochow University professor Hu Po-yen (胡博硯) as vice chair, Huang Wen-ling (黃文玲), former Taoyuan Mayor Chen Tsung-yi (陳宗義), China University of Science and Technology Vice President Lee Li-chung (李禮仲), Fooyin University Professor Su Jia-hong (蘇嘉宏), and Soochow University Professor Su Tzu-chiao (蘇子喬).
