The Executive Yuan on Thursday passed a set of draft amendments that would bar those convicted of national security offenses from leading political parties in Taiwan.

In a press release, the Ministry of the Interior (MOI) said the purpose of the amendments was to prevent foreign forces from infiltrating local political parties and interfering in Taiwan's politics.

The 16 draft revisions to the Political Parties Act -- which would affect those found guilty of breaching the National Security Act, the Classified National Security Information Protection Act, and the National Intelligence Services Act -- will be sent to the Legislature for approval.

One of the draft amendments seeks to hold both political parties and their chiefs accountable if the parties are found guilty of financial reporting irregularities.

According to the MOI, the changes will plug a loophole that has existed for the past five years in which parties avoid paying fines by having no listed assets in the party's name.

Under the proposed rules, money raised or received by a political party must be deposited in a bank account under its own name, with the MOI stating that both leaders and parties would be punished in the event of irregularities.

In addition, registered political parties must maintain a minimum membership of 100 and can hold a general assembly to elect party representatives once membership exceeds 300.

The proposed amendments also seek to limit the consolidation of individual power through the use of proxies by requiring party members and representatives to attend general assemblies in person.

Meanwhile, the draft proposal would see legislators-at-large lose their seats in the event their political party is dissolved.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel