CAREFUL:The KMT said it would choose someone who could mediate between the parties, while the DPP said it would think about whether to nominate a candidate
By Shih Hsiu-chuan / Staff Reporter, with CNA
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus is scheduled to vote tomorrow for its candidate for deputy legislative speaker prior to the start of the new legislature next month, KMT Secretary-General Liao Liou-yi (廖了以) said yesterday.
Several senior KMT legislators, including Ting Shou-chung (丁守中), Lu Hsueh-chang (呂學樟) and Chen Ken-te (陳根德) have signed up to run for the position, KMT Culture and Communication Committee Director Chuang Po-chun (莊伯仲) said, adding that more people might enter the race before registration ends today.
Veteran Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) is expected to retain his post following Saturday’s elections, but the vice speaker spot is open.
KMT Legislature Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱), who has served since 1990, has also been widely seen as a possible candidate, but she said she has not made a decision.
Liao said the caucus would elect the nominee who can best mediate the opposing interests of the different parties and make sure the legislative sessions run smoothly.
The final vote for the position will take place on Feb. 1, the same day as the swearing-in ceremony for the new legislature, which will be made up of 64 KMT legislators, 40 Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators and nine seats held by other parties.
The DPP said it would weigh whether to nominate candidates for the posts of speaker and vice speaker or seek cooperation with other parties in the legislature.
In related news, Wang yesterday said that either lawmakers could invite the president to present a state of the nation address or the president could take the initiative and submit a state of the nation address to the legislature.
Wang added that any questions posed to the president by lawmakers should not fall outside the framework of the president’s address.
“If the legislature agrees, of course the president can come and give a state of the nation address,” he said. “Following his speech, lawmakers can request further explanations about his address, but the president is not obligated to answer questions not related to the speech.”
Wang praised the idea of the president delivering a state of the nation address to the legislature, saying that dialogue between the president and the legislature would be good for the country and could create harmony between parties.
The Act Governing Legislators’ Exercise of Power (立法院職權行使法) requires support from more than a quarter of the legislature during a plenary session to invite the president to present his national security policy direction.
KMT Legislator Wu Yu-sheng (吳育昇) said the KMT caucus could second the idea provided the address was not followed by formal questions from lawmakers and that the president receives due respect from the legislature.
The DPP said it welcomed the address, but submitted some preconditions.
“President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) should offer some explanation on the content of the address and he should be formally questioned by legislators,” DPP Legislator Tsai Huang-liang (蔡煌瑯) said, adding that a state of the nation address without questions would be meaningless.
“If the address is made for Ma to tell us what he has achieved and what his policies are, he can do that with a press conference at the Presidential Office,” Tsai said.
Additional reporting by Chris Wang