Election commission certifies six to fill vacant TPP at-large seats

Taipei, Feb. 1 (CNA) The Central Election Commission (CEC) on Sunday certified six people to fill vacant at-large legislative seats for the Taiwan People's Party (TPP), including Li Chen-hsiu (李貞秀), a naturalized Taiwanese citizen who was born in China.

The TPP, a smaller opposition party in the Legislature, has a "two-year clause," under which some of its at-large lawmakers are required to step down midterm to allow other candidates on the party list to take over.

Li was among six people certified by the CEC to take over the TPP's at-large seats after Lin Kuo-chen (林國成), Lin Yi-chun (林憶君), Chang Chi-kai (張啓楷), Mai Yu-chen (麥玉珍), Huang Shan-shan (黃珊珊) and party Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) resigned on Sunday.

The terms of Li and the other five -- Hung Yu-hsiang (洪毓祥), Tsai Chun-chou (蔡春綢), Wang An-hsiang (王安祥), Chiu Hui-ju (邱慧洳) and Chen Ching-lung (陳清龍) -- will run until the end of the 11th Legislative Yuan's term on Jan. 31, 2028.

Li's inclusion has drawn public attention and questions have been raised over whether she has renounced her People's Republic of China (PRC) nationality, as required under Taiwan's Nationality Act.

For those with dual nationality, the law requires the waiver of the other nationality and submission of proof within one year of taking office.

Although China's Nationality Law allows individuals to apply for renunciation under certain conditions, such as acquiring another nationality, it remains unclear how the provisions would apply in cases like Li's, as the PRC does not recognize the ROC as a foreign sovereign state.

As of press time, Li had not publicly commented on the status of any related administrative procedures.

The CEC said that matters elected candidates must handle under the Nationality Act and other relevant laws fall outside the commission's jurisdiction and declined to comment further.

The Ministry of the Interior said lawmakers subject to the Nationality Act must complete required procedures within the legally specified timeframe or face removal in accordance with the law.

Huang Kuo-chang said Friday that the party would handle the matter in accordance with existing laws, adding that legal interpretation should follow established institutional processes in Taiwan's democratic system.