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Political clashes, living pressures crash Taiwanese leader Lai’s ratings
- Bitter divisions in the legislature and on the streets will worsen, on top of strained relations with Chinese mainland, observers say
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Lawrence Chungin Taipei
A direct clash between Taiwan’s cabinet and the legislature over parliamentary reform on Friday widened the political divide on the island, with the opposition overriding a cabinet veto of its bills with a 62-strong vote.
The mainland-friendly Kuomintang (KMT) and the smaller Taiwan People’s Party had previously united to push through the reform bills last month.
The cabinet, which had only 51 votes in its favour, expressed “deep regret” at the outcome and said the Executive Yuan would request a constitutional interpretation of the bills.
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Cabinet spokesman Chen Shih-kai said the timing of the request “will depend on the president’s promulgation of the laws”.
Observers warned that the confrontation would not only significantly affect the administration of the new Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te, but also his popularity.
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Anticipating defeat, DPP lawmakers had already vowed to take the case to the island’s constitutional court, promising to seek a ruling from the grand justices on whether the bills violated the constitution.
The reform bills give lawmakers greater oversight powers of the executive branch, including an expansion of their investigative authority, that would operate in a similar way to the US Congress.
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