Premier Cho Jung-tai Hopes for Presidential Impeachment Failure, Calls for Reconciliation Between Ruling and Opposition Parties

(CNA, Taipei, 19th, by reporters Lai Yu-chen and Kao Hua-chien) The Legislative Yuan held a recorded vote on the impeachment of President Lai Ching-te today, a first in the constitutional history of the Republic of China. Premier Cho Jung-tai stated today that while the Legislative Yuan is voting on the impeachment, the President and the Executive Yuan are working on important national affairs. He hopes that today's impeachment motion will fail, leading to a turnaround in relations between the ruling and opposition parties, and that the government will continue to promote reconciliation and coexistence to seek the greatest consensus.

On the eve of President Lai's second anniversary in office, Premier Cho Jung-tai, Vice Premier Cheng Li-chun, and Secretary-General Chang Tun-han attended the Executive Yuan's May 20 press conference this morning to explain recent achievements, future prospects such as enhancing policies for a low birth rate, and to respond to recent major current events.

Regarding the joint push by the KMT and TPP for President Lai's impeachment, Cho Jung-tai said that while the Legislative Yuan is voting on the impeachment, President Lai and the Executive Yuan are engaged in important national affairs and reporting the government's actions to the public. He hopes that the impeachment motion will fail today, leading to a positive turn in ruling-opposition relations.

He said the government will continue to promote reconciliation and coexistence between the ruling and opposition parties to seek the greatest consensus. Recalling the unforgettable personal pain caused by the previous Central Election Commission personnel case, he hopes the newly proposed list of CEC members will be approved by the Legislative Yuan. As for the list of members for the National Communications Commission (NCC), efforts are still underway.

Media also focused on the frequent use of vetoes and requests for constitutional interpretation by the Cho cabinet. Cho stated that the cabinet has proposed 8 vetoes and 6 requests for constitutional interpretation in total, which is indeed more than in the past. However, he argued that these were passive responses, primarily when legislative amendments met four conditions: violating the constitutional system, undermining fiscal discipline, infringing on national security, or lacking democratic procedures. Otherwise, the Executive Yuan would accept the relevant amendments.

Cho emphasized that if the constitutional system is damaged, it is not something any premier should bear, but rather that every premier should defend the constitutional system. He added that if legislative amendments undermine fiscal discipline, the responsibility lies with the Executive Yuan and the public suffers. As for amendments that infringe on national security, they would lead to the nation's gates being thrown open, and the country would cease to be a country. The Executive Yuan finds it difficult to implement legislation of such quality, passed without democratic discussion and unknown to both supporters and opponents, which is why it passively proposed these responses.