Legislature to vote on government oversight bills on June 21

Taipei, June 13 (CNA) The Legislature will vote on recently passed law revisions aimed at improving oversight of the executive branch on June 21 to determine their fates, following cross-party negotiations Thursday.

The decision came two days after the Legislature received the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)-led Cabinet's request to reconsider the amendments to the Law Governing the Legislative Yuan's Power and the Criminal Code approved on May 28.

Thursday's negotiation, which lasted nearly two hours, concluded that the Legislature would have Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) expound on the Cabinet's decision to reject the revisions and take questions from lawmakers of all parties on the legislative floor from June 19 to 20.

Lawmakers will then vote on the morning of June 21 to decide whether the Legislature upholds the passage of the amendments, as agreed upon during the negotiation.

According to the Constitution, lawmakers must vote on the government oversight bills no later than June 25. If they fail to reach a decision before the deadline, the bills will be void.

If more than half of all sitting legislators, or at least 57 lawmakers in the current Legislature, support the revisions' passage, the president will be required to sign them into law.

However, Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘), the DPP's legislative caucus whip, said Thursday that should the Legislature maintain the approval of the amendments, his party would seek a ruling from the Constitutional Court on their constitutionality.

The revisions, which aim to check the president and Cabinet's powers and strengthen the Legislature's ability to investigate government wrongdoing, were pushed through by Kuomintang (KMT) and Taiwan People's Party (TPP) lawmakers, who together form a majority in the Legislature.

The DPP argues that the legislative process and the content of the revisions are "unconstitutional," as they fail to conform to democratic principles, contravene the separation of powers and infringe on human rights enshrined in the Constitution.

The KMT and TPP, on the other hand, maintain that the amendments have followed due process and are a necessary reform, particularly in light of allegations of corruption and wrongdoing relating to several major DPP government policies and investment projects.

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