Opposition-controlled Legislature passes motion censuring Premier Cho

Taipei, Jan. 2 (CNA) The opposition-controlled Legislature on Friday passed a censure motion against Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰), citing "four primarily failures," and demanded National Security Council head Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) resign over a former long-time aide found guilty of spying for China in an ongoing trial.

The four failures listed in the censure motion included the Cabinet's request in June 2024 for the Legislature to reconsider amendments passed the previous month aimed at expanding legislative power -- many of which were ruled unconstitutional on Oct. 25 that year.

The motion also cited Cho's handling of earmarked subsidies for Taiwan Power Co., the appointment of the National Communications Commission's acting head, and the dispute over compensation for Indigenous lands.

Cho has "failed to respect constitutional boundaries, undermined the democratic principles of separation of powers and checks and balances, and caused a constitutional stalemate and intense partisan confrontation ...," the Taiwan People's Party (TPP) said in the motion which was initiated on the same day as the constitutional ruling, but only voted on Friday.

The Kuomintang (KMT) and the TPP, who jointly hold a majority of seats in the Legislature, voted to pass the motion, which carried more symbolic weight than legal force, with the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) voting against.

The two parties also voted on Friday to pass a motion that demanded NSC head Wu step down, citing the "severe damage to national interests" caused by Ho Jen-chieh (何仁傑), who was recently sentenced for his role in procuring classified documents for China when serving as Wu's aide during his tenure as foreign minister in 2023.

Taipei District Court in September handed Ho an eight-year-and-two-month prison sentence, while also sentencing three others involved in the espionage case. Ho, who remains in detention, told the media outside the Taiwan High Court in October that he had done nothing wrong when attending an appellate hearing and can still appeal the verdict.

Another reason cited by the opposition in demanding Wu's resignation is his repeated refusal to attend legislative committees when requested to do so by lawmakers, which the opposition said amounted to "evading legislative oversight."

At Friday's plenary session, the DPP proposed an agenda that included the Legislature voting on a resolution to condemn the "Justice Mission-2025" military exercise conducted by Chinese People's Liberation Army earlier this week around Taiwan, but it was voted down by the opposition.

Cabinet spokesperson Michelle Lee (李慧芝) expressed regret that the opposition not only failed to align with the international community in condemning China's military exercises, but instead passed motions that "served only to escalate political tensions."

Lee called on the opposition to review the central government's general budget for this year and the eight-year NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.78 bilion) special defense budget.

In a press release, the NSC urged all political parties to prioritize national interests by reviewing the two budget proposals and putting an end to political confrontation.