DPP Caucus Demands Hou You-yi Report to Council; KMT Caucus Walks Out in Protest

(中央社記者 王鴻國 新北8日電) The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus in the New Taipei City Council today demanded an extraordinary session and a special report from New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi. This was opposed by the Kuomintang (KMT) caucus, which collectively walked out, resulting in a lack of a quorum for a vote, and the proposal was blocked.

The council was holding the final day of its regular session, originally scheduled to review proposals from the New Taipei City Government. However, the DPP caucus demanded that the council first handle the proposal for an extraordinary session and a special report from Mayor Hou on expanding the use of the Senior Citizen and Disability Love Card, before proceeding with other agenda items.

Council Speaker Jiang Gen-huang allowed members to speak on the proposal. When the DPP caucus called for a vote around 4:00 PM, Speaker Jiang ordered a roll call at 4:45 PM. At that point, members of the KMT caucus collectively walked out, preventing the council from reaching a quorum, and the regular session was concluded.

KMT caucus secretary-general Chen Yi-jun stated that the council had already set its agenda and should prioritize the established items. He argued that the DPP caucus insisted on deviating from the agenda to prioritize the extraordinary session proposal, leading to procedural disputes. He added that there were no major or urgent proposals requiring an extraordinary session.

DPP caucus convener Chen Yong-fu criticized the KMT caucus for prioritizing party interests over the rights of citizens by using a walkout to obstruct the extraordinary session and the special report. He demanded that Mayor Hou respond and come to the council as soon as possible to give a special report, clearly explaining to the citizens how the budget is compiled and how the details are executed.

The New Taipei City Council stated that this regular session, held from March 31 to June 8, passed a total of 842 proposals. (Editor: Li Ming-zong) 1150608

Stand with the facts. Your support is the power to protect press freedom.

Download the Central News Agency "One-Hand News" APP for instant updates.

The text, images, and audio/video on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, or publicly transmitted without authorization.