Legislative Yuan to extend session until Jan. 21

Taipei, Nov. 20 (CNA) The current legislative session will be extended until Jan. 21, 2025, to allow for the passing of a delayed budget bill and other contested legislation, Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) said Wednesday.

Taiwan's Legislative Yuan meets twice a year, from February to May and from September to December, with the option to extend the session if necessary.

Since the current session started on Sept. 20, opposition Kuomintang (KMT) and Taiwan People's Party (TPP) lawmakers, who together hold a majority of seats in the Legislative Yuan, have repeatedly blocked the Cabinet's NT$3.33 trillion (US$104.2 billion) budget proposal.

KMT and TPP lawmakers had argued that the budget failed to include funding for changes made by the Legislature earlier this year, and demanded that the Cabinet revise and resubmit the plan.

On Nov. 7, the ruling Democratic Progressive Party agreed to cede to the opposition parties' demands, following a meeting between Cabinet officials led by Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) and KMT and TPP legislative leaders.