New Examination Yuan head confirmed by Legislature

Taipei, Dec. 17 (CNA) The Legislative Yuan on Tuesday confirmed the appointment of Chou Hung-hsien (周弘憲) and Hsu Shu-hsiang (許舒翔) as the new president and vice president of the Examination Yuan.

Lawmakers also approved the appointment of six members of the Examination Yuan, which is responsible for administering national civil servant exams and appointing, training and protecting the rights of civil service personnel.

Chou, the 71-year-old incumbent Examination Yuan vice president, was confirmed by a 59-53 vote in the 113-seat Legislature.

Hsu, 63, received 112 votes.

Chou has been working in public office for the past 16 years, serving in various positions including in the Examination Yuan and the Executive Yuan, and is a qualified lawyer.

Supreme Prosecutors Office prosecutor Ker Li-ling (柯麗鈴) was the only one of President Lai Ching-te's (賴清德) seven Examination Yuan nominees to not be confirmed by the Legislature.

The six others who were approved in individual votes in the 113-seat Legislature include former Deputy Taipei and Deputy New Taipei Mayor Teng Chia-Chi (鄧家基), professor at National Chengchi University's Department of Public Administration Huang Tong-yi (黃東益).

They also include emeritus professor at National Taiwan Ocean University and National Sun Yat-sen University Chiau Wen-yan (邱文彥), former Deputy Minister of Civil Service Lu Chiu-hui (呂秋慧), former Examination Yuan member Wang Hsiu-hung (王秀紅) and Iwan Nawi, current president of the Academy for the Judiciary.

A simple majority is required for Examination Yuan nominees to be confirmed by the Legislature.

Currently, no single party commands a majority in the 113-seat Legislature. The ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) holds 51 seats, while the main opposition Kuomintang holds 52 seats.

Among the remaining seats, two are held by KMT-aligned independents, Kao Chin Su-mei (高金素梅) and Chen Chao-ming (陳超明), and eight are held by the Taiwan's People Party.

Kao Chin, Chen and the entire KMT caucus voted against confirming Chou and Ker.

According to the Organization Act of the Examination Yuan, the Examination Yuan has a president, a vice president, and between seven and nine members, all of whom are, with the consent of the Legislative Yuan, appointed by the president for four-year terms.