TAIPEI (TVBS News) — The Legislative Yuan (立法院) moved forward with a proposed amendment to the Public Officials Election and Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法) on Friday (July 12), driven by the Kuomintang (KMT, 國民黨) and Taiwan People's Party (TPP, 民眾黨).
Legislators Fu Kun-chi (傅崐萁), Su Ching-chuan (蘇清泉), and 14 others spearheaded the initiative to address severe issues of fraudulent recall petitions.
Proponents of the amendment highlighted the rampant misuse of the recall system, citing numerous instances where signatures were forged. They argued that the current system's laxity has led to increased social costs due to the ease of manipulating personal data for fraudulent purposes.
The amendment aims to tighten recall regulations to prevent identity theft and misuse. It proposes changes to the act without altering the recall thresholds.
Instead, it requires that recall petitions include photocopies of the signatories' national identification cards, both front and back, to increase the difficulty of falsifying support.
This morning, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP, 民進黨) sought to return the amendment to the Procedure Committee during the Legislative Yuan session.
However, the attempt failed due to insufficient numbers against the combined forces of the KMT and the TPP, allowing the proposal to proceed to its second reading.
Observers will closely watch the amendment's progress, anticipating its potential impact on Taiwan's political landscape and the integrity of its recall system.
