Government to seek court order to disband pro-unification party

Taipei, Jan. 2 (CNA) The Ministry of the Interior (MOI) on Thursday said it will formally ask the Constitutional Court to legally dissolve the Chinese Unification Promotion Party (CUPP).

In a statement, the MOI said its Political Party Review Committee approved a resolution to seek the dissolution of the New Taipei-based CUPP with a required two-thirds vote after inviting the party's leadership to make a statement in its defense.

The MOI claimed the CUPP is known to be involved in organized crime, and has core members who have "repeatedly" violated the National Security Act, Anti-Infiltration Act, Cross-Strait Act, and election laws, thus "endangering national security, social stability and fair elections."

While the MOI "respects" the political stances made in the CUPP's party charter and platform, it "cannot accept" repeated national security violations and acts of violence by party members, the statement said.

According to the MOI, the CUPP''s "links to foreign forces" and "use of a political party name as a cover for organized crime," among other things, violate the Constitution and laws, even if the party does not hold any seats in the Legislature or any city or county councils.

Under Taiwan's Constitution, the MOI noted, authorities can request the dissolution of a political party "[whose] goals or activities endanger the existence of the Republic of China or the nation's free and democratic constitutional order."

The MOI acknowledged that its request may be complicated by an ongoing political dispute over Constitutional Court vacancies and reform legislation, which has left the court's operations in a cloud of uncertainty.

A request to disband the CUPP will be submitted as the court's situation permits, the ministry said.