TPP 'coalition government' idea inapplicable to Taiwan: DPP

Taipei, Nov. 2 (CNA) Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) on Sunday accused the Taiwan People's Party (TPP) of misleading the public by promoting the idea of a "coalition government," saying the concept is incompatible with Taiwan's constitutional structure.

DPP spokesperson Justin Chuo (卓冠廷) said TPP leader Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) has used the concept of "coalition government" for political gain, even though Taiwan's local governments operate under a chief-executive system that makes such an arrangement impossible.

"Taiwan is not a parliamentary system, and so-called 'coalition government' is not applicable," Chuo said.

Chuo added that coalition governments can only arise in parliamentary systems where parties form majority cabinets, and that Taiwan's constitutional system "has never been a cabinet system."

In a press release issued on Sunday, the DPP said "blue-white cooperation" -- referring to collaboration between the Kuomintang (KMT) and the TPP -- was aimed only at removing the DPP.

The DPP said this was "political struggle" rather than inter-party cooperation.

Earlier on Sunday, the leader of the TPP, Taiwan's third-biggest political party, said the idea of a coalition government "could apply broadly to both the central government and local governments" in Taiwan's current political landscape.

"I believe that in the next 10 years, coalition government is probably a model Taiwan must adopt," Huang said at a TPP-hosted forum titled "The Theory and Experiment of Coalition Government: Japan's Experience, Taiwan's New Choice?"

Huang said Japan's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and Japan Innovation Party had signed an inter-party cooperation agreement before Sanae Takaichi became prime minister, and important policies and bills for promotion in parliament were "written out very clearly in black and white."

He said the TPP plans to hold a series of joint forums on local coalition governance across Taiwan, with Keelung City Mayor George Hsieh (謝國樑) and Deputy Mayor Chiu Pei-ling (邱佩玲) participating in one event.