Taiwan’s "Legislative Yuan" on Friday has agreed to consider a
recall motion against embattled leader Chen Shui-bian in
October.
By a vote of 106 to 82, the "Legislative Yuan" agreed to place
the motion proposed by the People First Party (PFP) on the agenda
for its next session to be held from October 11 to 13.
The "Legislative Yuan" will vote on the motion on October
13.
The Yuan will verify the motion in 15 days and Chen will be
given the opportunity to file a defense paper seven days before the
verification process.
The motion will need the support of two-thirds of the
"Legislative Yuan" and at least 50 percent of the electorate if
it’s to succeed.
Alleging "management incompetence" and a series of corruption
scandals involving Chen's son-in-law, wife and some of his top
aides, the Kuomintang (KMT) party and the PFP had called for Chen
to step down in June.
A legislative vote to oust Chen on June 27 resulted in a boycott
by lawmakers from Chen's Democratic People's Party (DPP), leaving
only 133 members to cast their votes. Under Taiwan regulations, at
least two thirds, or 148 members of the "legislature", must approve
the motion for it to succeed. Of the 133 votes cast, 119 were in
favor of the motion, 14 were invalid and none against.
According to Taiwan media reports, chances of the motion being
approved by more than two thirds of the "legislature" were
slim.
(Xinhua News Agency September 30, 2006)