Amendment adds to offenses disqualifying a run for president

Taipei, Aug. 4 (CNA) The Legislative Yuan passed an amendment Tuesday that adds convictions under the Fraud Crime Hazard Prevention Act to the list of offenses that disqualify individuals from running for president or vice president in Taiwan.

The amendment, introduced by opposition Kuomintang (KMT) Legislator Weng Hsiao-ling (翁曉玲), revised Article 26 of the Presidential and Vice Presidential Election and Recall Act.

Weng said presidential candidates should be held to a higher standard of integrity than ordinary citizens, given that the president is entrusted with leading the country.

If an individual was convicted of more serious fraud charges that the Fraud Crime Hazard Prevention Act is supposed to address but could still run for the presidency, that would be inconsistent with the standard of integrity democratic societies expect of public officials, she said.

It was not clear, however, how much adding provisions in the Fraud Crime Hazard Prevention Act, which is based on Article 339-4 of the Criminal Code, to the list in the election law will change candidate eligibility in practice.

During the committee review of the bill, the Ministry of the Interior (MOI) suggested that the amendment might not have a significant impact on potential candidates because fraud violations disqualifying candidates were already part of the election law.

The ministry said amendments to the Presidential and Vice Presidential Election and Recall Act and the Civil Servants Election and Recall Act enacted in June 2023 had already barred individuals convicted of aggravated fraud under Article 339-4 of the Criminal Code from running for public office.

It said, however, that it would respect the Legislature's decision if it were to reach a consensus on the amendment.

The Fraud Crime Hazard Prevention Act, which took effect in July 2024, increased penalties for offenses under Article 339-4.

The amendment passed Tuesday will take effect upon promulgation by the president.