President, lawmakers should be re-elected together: TPP chair

Taipei, April 18 (CNA) A presidential re-election would be necessary if President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) were to dissolve the parliament in response to a passed no-confidence motion against the Cabinet, Taiwan People's Party (TPP) Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) said Friday.

Speaking at a press conference in Taipei, Huang criticized Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an's (蔣萬安) proposal for a no-confidence vote against Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰), arguing it would play into the hands of Lai's ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).

"The DPP has been advocating for dissolving the Legislature in recent months," Huang said in response to Chiang's proposal announced during a protest Thursday night.

"How can it be considered a vote of no-confidence against Lai Ching-te if he remains in office after a legislative re-election? This would only gift the DPP an opportunity to reverse the situation and salvage their debacle," Huang said.

On Thursday evening, Chiang, a member of Taiwan's major opposition Kuomintang (KMT), urged opposition parties to initiate a no-confidence motion against Premier Cho in protest of what he said was the Lai administration's abuse of judicial powers to target government critics.

As of Thursday, four KMT local offices had been raided and more than a dozen people questioned over allegations of fraudulent signatures on petitions to initiative recalls against DPP lawmakers.

Under Taiwan's Additional Articles of the Constitution, if a no-confidence vote passes, the premier may request the president to dissolve the Legislative Yuan.

Chiang expressed confidence that the public would express dissatisfaction with the ruling party by voting for opposition candidates in any subsequent legislative election.

On Friday, when the Taipei mayor was asked about his call for a vote of no-confidence, he said he was simply advocating an idea as he was not a lawmaker and did not have a position within the KMT, and therefore had no authority in the matter.

If Lai were to dissolve the Legislature following a vote of no-confidence, however, people could think about Taiwan's future from a more comprehensive perspective.

Meanwhile, KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said his party "does not rule out any measures that are beneficial to Taiwan's democracy and can make the leader step down."

Chu underscored the KMT's commitment to safeguarding Taiwan's democracy and holding the government accountable, and he invited other opposition parties to join discussions on the matter.

Chu, who mobilized supporters to protest outside the Taipei District Prosecutors Office on Thursday evening, called on the public to voice their discontent with the DPP during a rally in front of the Presidential Office scheduled for April 26 at 3 p.m.

The TPP has not decided whether its members will attend the assembly and will announce its conclusion later, according to Huang.

In response to Chiang's proposal, Premier Cho and DPP legislative caucus secretary-general Wu Szu-yao (吳思瑤) questioned the KMT's public support and the propriety of Chiang raising the issue given his mayoral status.

Pointing out that recall motions against KMT local lawmakers have passed initial thresholds, Wu suggested that the KMT missed the optimal timing to push for a Cabinet dismissal.

Likewise, Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘), the DPP's legislative caucus whip, said that Chiang made the proposal in Chu's stead showed that "the KMT is done already."

"I will absolutely support it if the KMT dares launch the Cabinet dismissal," he said.