Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08TAIPEI163
2008-02-01 13:55:00
CONFIDENTIAL
American Institute Taiwan, Taipei
Cable title:
TAIWAN'S NEW LEGISLATIVE YUAN OPENS SESSION
how-toVZCZCXRO7277 OO RUEHCN RUEHGH DE RUEHIN #0163 0321355 ZNY CCCCC ZZH O 011355Z FEB 08 FM AIT TAIPEI TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 8057 INFO RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 7798 RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL 9303 RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 9556 RUEHCN/AMCONSUL CHENGDU 2367 RUEHGZ/AMCONSUL GUANGZHOU 0911 RUEHHK/AMCONSUL HONG KONG 9062 RUEHGH/AMCONSUL SHANGHAI 1727 RUEHSH/AMCONSUL SHENYANG 6338 RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC RHHJJAA/JICPAC HONOLULU HI RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC RHHMUNA/USPACOM HONOLULU HI
C O N F I D E N T I A L TAIPEI 000163
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 2/1/2023
TAGS: PGOV TW
SUBJECT: TAIWAN'S NEW LEGISLATIVE YUAN OPENS SESSION
REF: TAIPEI 0061
Classified By: AIT Director Stephen M. Young, Reason 1.4 (b/d)
C O N F I D E N T I A L TAIPEI 000163
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 2/1/2023
TAGS: PGOV TW
SUBJECT: TAIWAN'S NEW LEGISLATIVE YUAN OPENS SESSION
REF: TAIPEI 0061
Classified By: AIT Director Stephen M. Young, Reason 1.4 (b/d)
1. (SBU) Taiwan's 7th Legislative Yuan (LY) opened its
session on February 1 with the swearing in of 112 legislators
elected to the body in the January 12 legislative elections.
The restructured legislature now consists of 113 seats, pared
down from the 225 seats of previous sessions. One KMT
legislator-elect, currently mayor of a Taipei County city,
postponed his swearing in to March, in order to serve enough
time to appoint his mayoral successor and avoid holding a
by-election.
2. (SBU) Incumbent LY Speaker Wang Jin-pyng was easily
re-elected to the speakership in voting that proceeded along
party lines. The 80 present KMT legislators, along with 5
other members from the Non-Partisan Solidarity Union, People
First Party, and an independent, gave Wang a total of 85
votes, compared to the DPP's 27 votes for DPP legislator
Trong Chai. Incumbent KMT lawmaker Tseng Yung-chuan was
elected Deputy Speaker with 84 votes.
3. (C) In a conciliatory gesture to the DPP, and as a means
to ease the fears of Taiwanese voters concerned with the KMT
reasserting its traditional hegemony on political power in
Taiwan, the KMT has stated that it is willing to offer four
of the eight legislative committee chairs to the DPP. No
decision has yet been made on which committees this would
entail. The eight committees are as follows: Interior
Affairs; Foreign Affairs and National Defense; Economics;
Finance; Education and Culture; Transportation; Judiciary,
Organic Law and Statues; Sanitation, Environment and Labor
Affairs.
4. (C) According to DPP Deputy Director for Policy Planning
Chao Chia-wen, the new legislature is unlikely to implement
any major legislation before the upcoming presidential
election on March 22. New members will first be engaged in
interpellations and then need a few weeks to review any
pending legislation. Chao added that the KMT-led body will
also act slowly to avoid missteps which could exacerbate
fears among undecided voters concerned the KMT will become
too powerful should Ma win the presidency.
YOUNG
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 2/1/2023
TAGS: PGOV TW
SUBJECT: TAIWAN'S NEW LEGISLATIVE YUAN OPENS SESSION
REF: TAIPEI 0061
Classified By: AIT Director Stephen M. Young, Reason 1.4 (b/d)
1. (SBU) Taiwan's 7th Legislative Yuan (LY) opened its
session on February 1 with the swearing in of 112 legislators
elected to the body in the January 12 legislative elections.
The restructured legislature now consists of 113 seats, pared
down from the 225 seats of previous sessions. One KMT
legislator-elect, currently mayor of a Taipei County city,
postponed his swearing in to March, in order to serve enough
time to appoint his mayoral successor and avoid holding a
by-election.
2. (SBU) Incumbent LY Speaker Wang Jin-pyng was easily
re-elected to the speakership in voting that proceeded along
party lines. The 80 present KMT legislators, along with 5
other members from the Non-Partisan Solidarity Union, People
First Party, and an independent, gave Wang a total of 85
votes, compared to the DPP's 27 votes for DPP legislator
Trong Chai. Incumbent KMT lawmaker Tseng Yung-chuan was
elected Deputy Speaker with 84 votes.
3. (C) In a conciliatory gesture to the DPP, and as a means
to ease the fears of Taiwanese voters concerned with the KMT
reasserting its traditional hegemony on political power in
Taiwan, the KMT has stated that it is willing to offer four
of the eight legislative committee chairs to the DPP. No
decision has yet been made on which committees this would
entail. The eight committees are as follows: Interior
Affairs; Foreign Affairs and National Defense; Economics;
Finance; Education and Culture; Transportation; Judiciary,
Organic Law and Statues; Sanitation, Environment and Labor
Affairs.
4. (C) According to DPP Deputy Director for Policy Planning
Chao Chia-wen, the new legislature is unlikely to implement
any major legislation before the upcoming presidential
election on March 22. New members will first be engaged in
interpellations and then need a few weeks to review any
pending legislation. Chao added that the KMT-led body will
also act slowly to avoid missteps which could exacerbate
fears among undecided voters concerned the KMT will become
too powerful should Ma win the presidency.
YOUNG