Amid brawling and water balloons, Taiwan’s legislature voted for the new president of Control Yuan, a government watchdog agency.
Chen Chu, former secretary-general of the Presidential Office, was confirmed as the head of Control Yuan in a 65 to 3 vote on Friday.
Chen’s confirmation hearings were originally scheduled from July 14 to 16. The procedure failed to take place because of the opposition Kuomintang’s (KMT) boycott campaign. As the voting process began this morning, KMT legislators held signs in protest, claiming the confirmation hearings were incomplete, demanding that the vote be forestalled.
Chaos ensued when the KMT lawmakers pushed over the ballot box to interrupt the voting process. They also refused to cast their ballots to protest against Chen’s nomination. As the voting ended, several KMT legislators threw water balloons at the stage. Members from the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) put on raincoats and raised foam boards to dodge the attacks.
Chen garnered 65 votes in favor and 3 against her candidacy. Two ballots were deemed invalid.
There are currently 113 seats in the legislature. A majority of 57 votes is required to confirm appointees. The DPP is in government with 63 seats.
Article 7 in the Additional Articles of the ROC Constitution states that the Control Yuan shall have 29 members, with one president serving a six-year term. A recent law established the National Human Rights Committee under the Control Yuan.
The KMT was not the only party against the voting on Friday. Taiwan People’s Party and New Power Party (NPP) claimed that the voting was unconstitutional without completing the confirmation hearings.
Prior to voting, NPP Legislator Chiu Hsien-chih told reporters that the KMT’s behavior should be condemned, but an actual examination of the Control Yuan nominee is mandated by the Constitutional Court’s interpretation.
Lee Chun-yi, the deputy secretary-general of the Presidential Office, explained that the Court only required the president’s nomination and the legislature’s approval to confirm Control Yuan appointments. Chen has also submitted all relevant documents for review.
Chen was a prominent dissident in the 1970s during Taiwan’s martial law period. The KMT has opposed Chen’s nomination due to her close relations with the DPP, which she helped found. Her mayorship in Kaohsiung was also tainted by accusations of forgery and corruption among members of her administration.
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TNL Editor: Nicholas Haggerty, Daphne K. Lee (@thenewslensintl)
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