Taipei, April 18 (CNA) Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) of the main opposition Kuomintang (KMT) on Thursday called on the Legislature to dismiss the Cabinet through a vote of no confidence, accusing the Lai Ching-te (賴清德) administration of abusing its judicial powers.
Speaking at a protest outside the Taipei District Prosecutors Office on Thursday evening, Chiang urged opposition parties to use their joint legislative majority to pass the motion.
His remarks came after four KMT local offices were raided over the past few days and several staff members were brought in for questioning over allegations that petitions to initiate recall votes against ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers had fake signatures.
The KMT has seen the moves as political persecution.
“The Legislature should push for the dismissal of the Cabinet instead of allowing the ruling power to continue hurting Taiwan unjustly,” Chiang said.
Chiang, who described the protest as his first against Taiwan’s judicial system, said he was attending “as a national of the Republic of China, a Taipei citizen, and a father of three.”
He said he would take full responsibility for his actions and had instructed Taipei City Police Department officials to enforce the law as usual.
According to the Assembly and Parade Act, demonstrations are prohibited at prosecutors offices and their immediate surroundings without prior approval.
“Recently, we have seen the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) use the judicial system to suppress dissent. Any one of us could be the next victim if we stand against those in power,” Chiang said.
Under the Additional Articles of the Constitution of the Republic of China, if a no-confidence vote is passed, the premier may request the president to dissolve the Legislative Yuan.
Addressing the possibility of Lai dissolving the Legislature, Chiang said he believed the public would express their dissatisfaction with the ruling party by voting for opposition candidates in any subsequent legislative election.
According to the Additional Articles of the Constitution of the Republic of China, the Legislative Yuan may propose a no-confidence vote against the premier with the signatures of at least one-third of all lawmakers.
The motion can then be passed with a majority of the body’s 113 seats. If passed, the premier shall tender his resignation within 10 days and may request the president to dissolve the Legislature.
If the vote fails, the Legislature cannot launch another vote against the same premier within one year.
At present, the KMT controls 54 votes in the 113-seat Legislature and the opposition Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) controls eight.
The TPP has also accused the DPP of overstepping the boundaries of justice, arguing that indictments on corruption charges against its former Chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) were not backed by evidence and were politically motivated.
Chiang was among the first KMT municipal leaders to announce his participation in the protest after KMT Chair Eric Chu (朱立倫) earlier in the day called on the public to voice their anger and frustration with the Taipei District Prosecutors Office.
Huang Lu Chin-ju (黃呂錦茹), chairwoman of the KMT’s Taipei chapter, was one of four individuals taken in for questioning by Taipei prosecutors on Thursday. Early Friday morning, prosecutors requested court approval to detain them.
