Legislature advances amendment to election and recall law

Taipei, July 12 (CNA) Opposition lawmakers on Friday used their majority in the Legislature to send a proposed amendment to an existing law, that would tighten the requirements for the recall of elected officials, directly to a second reading.

The proposed revision to the Public Officials Election and Recall Act requires that petition signatories in a recall drive need to submit a copy of the front and back of their national identification card, to better prevent fraud.

Currently, the attachment of a national ID copy is not required in a petition drive.

Under the amendment, those caught faking a signature by signing on behalf of someone else would be subject to a jail sentence of up to five years, detention, or a fine of up to NT$1 million (US$30,732).

Meanwhile, a signee would also need to include his/her national ID card's date of issue in the petition, or the signature will be regarded as void by the election commission reviewing a submitted petition.

The opposition Kuomintang and Taiwan People's Party used their majority in the Legislature Friday to push the recall bill amendment directly to a second reading with a 60-51 vote.

In Taiwan, legislation must pass three readings to become law. In the first reading, the titles of proposed bills are read out loud and then referred to the appropriate committees for review before being sent to a second reading.

However, if a motion is seconded by at least 20 lawmakers and passes a vote, it can be sent straight to a second reading without being referred to a committee for review.

On the legislative floor on Friday, ruling Democratic Progressive Party lawmakers held placards protesting the recall amendments, characterizing them as an attack on civil rights.

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