TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The legislature on Tuesday passed an amendment barring people with final convictions under Taiwan’s anti-fraud law from running for president or vice president, CNA reported.
The amendment revises Article 26 of the Presidential and Vice Presidential Election and Recall Act. Anyone with a final conviction under the Fraud Crime Hazard Prevention Act will be barred from registering as a presidential or vice presidential candidate, UDN reported.
KMT Legislator Weng Hsiao-ling (翁曉玲), who proposed the amendment, said candidates for the country’s highest offices should meet “stricter standards” of honesty and integrity. She said people convicted of serious fraud should not be allowed to seek those positions.
Weng said the amendment makes clear that convictions under the Fraud Crime Hazard Prevention Act are grounds for disqualification. She said the change is intended to protect public trust in elected officials.
Liberty Times reported that the interior ministry said existing election laws already bar people convicted of aggravated fraud under the Criminal Code from becoming candidates. It said the Fraud Crime Hazard Prevention Act, which took effect in July 2024, increased penalties for some aggravated fraud offenses.
The ministry said it respected the legislature’s decision to amend the law and make candidate eligibility rules more consistent.
