Taipei:The opposition-controlled Legislative Yuan has voted down all 27 of President Lai Ching-te's nominees for the Control Yuan, Taiwan's government watchdog body. Legislators from the main opposition Kuomintang (KMT) and the Taiwan People's Party (TPP) joined forces to block the nominees, who needed 57 votes in favor to secure a majority in the 113-seat chamber.
According to Focus Taiwan, President Lai initially named 29 nominees on June 11 for the seventh term of the Control Yuan, including Chen Yung-hsing as the president. However, two nominees, former KMT lawmaker Liao Wan-ju and former New Taipei Deputy Mayor Hsieh Cheng-ta, declined their nominations, advocating for the abolition of the Control Yuan.
The terms of the previous Control Yuan members expired on July 31, with successors due to take office on August 1. However, a confirmation vote was postponed and scheduled for the new legislative session's opening day. Prior to the vote, Presidential Office Secretary-General Pan Men-an noted that attempts to arrange meetings with opposition parties yielded no positive response.
KMT legislative caucus convener Fu Kun-chi criticized the Control Yuan for allegedly ignoring KMT-exposed scandals while targeting the opposition. TPP Legislator Hung Yu-shiang echoed this sentiment, citing the agency's oversight failures and the TPP's stance to abolish it.
The Control Yuan remains in an uncertain state, with a preliminary inquiry announced into Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an's son's selection for an exchange program. Despite lacking members, the agency maintains that it must still conduct inquiries.
Discussions about the Control Yuan's future continue, with some parties advocating for its abolition. TPP legislative caucus leader Chen Ching-lung has pushed for constitutional amendments to abolish the agency and reduce its budget. While the DPP supports this move, President Lai must nominate members until an amendment is enacted. The KMT's stance is more nuanced, balancing support for government separation of powers with acknowledgment of the constitutional challenges in abolishing the Control Yuan.