You Ying-lung: Hopes for Full Approval of CEC Appointments, Deputy Justice Minister Serving as Member Has Precedent

(CNA Taipei, June 29) The Legislative Yuan will vote on July 3 on the appointment consent for three members of the Central Election Commission (CEC). CEC Chairman You Ying-lung said today that he sincerely hopes all three will be approved smoothly. He noted that Deputy Minister of Justice Huang Mou-hsin has been questioned due to his position, but stated that it is common for Deputy Ministers of Justice to concurrently serve as CEC members, adding, "I think this is an overreaction."

The Executive Yuan on April 21 submitted the nominations of former Executive Yuan Counselor Shen Shu-fei, lawyer Tsai Wei-che, and Deputy Minister of Justice Huang Mou-hsin as CEC members to the Legislative Yuan for review. The Legislative Yuan will hold a roll-call vote on July 3 to decide on the appointment consent for the CEC members.

Speaking at a press conference titled "Reporting to the People" today, You Ying-lung, when asked by reporters about this matter, said he sincerely hopes that during the Legislative Yuan's review, there will not be too much partisan animosity, and that all three nominees will be approved smoothly, allowing the CEC to become stronger and more sound.

You Ying-lung also used the movie "Transformers" as an example, stating that the CEC should have nine to eleven members, but currently only has eight. He likened this to missing a large part of the heroic Transformers, and expressed hope that the legislature would allow the CEC to fill the three vacant positions so that it can operate with its full capacity.

You Ying-lung also emphasized that he has noticed Deputy Minister of Justice Huang Mou-hsin being questioned due to his position. "I think this is an overreaction." Based on past experience, it is common for Deputy Ministers of Justice to concurrently serve as CEC members. Therefore, he stated, questioning Huang Mou-hsin's impartiality due to his role as Deputy Minister of Justice is impossible.

You Ying-lung said that the CEC operates on a collegial basis, and no single member can dominate everything. He also stated that no committee member would lead CEC decisions due to their role as Deputy Minister of Justice, adding, "This is impossible, absolutely impossible, especially when I am the chairman." He will not allow such a situation to occur and therefore implores legislators to consider this carefully. He also fully respects the legislators' right to exercise their appointment consent power.

In addition, when asked by reporters about the opposition party's plan to propose five referendums and whether the CEC has assessed the cost of each referendum and if reserve funds will be used, You Ying-lung said that with just over five months left until the year-end elections, the CEC is currently fully focused on preparing for the related election affairs. If referendums are held, he believes the CEC staff are very experienced and dedicated. Whether reserve funds will be used is a technical issue, and there will be no problems in handling it. (Editor: Hsieh Chia-chen) 1150629

Stand with facts, your every donation is a force to protect press freedom.

Download the CNA "First News" APP to get the latest news in real-time.

Text, images, and videos on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, publicly transmitted, or used without authorization.