Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

The rules of a peaceful presidential transition

Chen In-chin 陳英鈐

According to Constitutional Interpretation No. 627, it is the right of the president to appoint the premier. After today’s election, the most important issue would be the peaceful transition of presidential powers.

A peaceful transfer involves whether President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration would step down ahead of time and how well the legislature would follow through on its oversight function.

Voters reject KMT fear-mongering

Taipei Times Editorial

There has been no shortage of threats of a turbulent Taiwan Strait in the presidential campaign over the past few months, with several Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) heavyweights and Chinese officials resorting to intimidation to try to browbeat Democratic Progressive Party presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) into following their rules on cross-strait relations.

On several occasions, KMT presidential candidate Eric Chu (朱立倫) has taken issue with Tsai’s policy of maintaining the “status quo,” asking her to give an unequivocal answer as to whether she accepts the so-called “1992 consensus.”

The KMT’s allergy to democracy

Taipei Times Editorial

Although running for the presidency nearly three decades after the end of the Martial Law era, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) seems to be unable to forget the party’s “glorious” authoritarian past.

Yesterday marked the 27th anniversary of the death of former president Chiang Ching-kuo (蔣經國), and President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) — along with Chu — traveled to Chiang’s mausoleum in Taoyuan’s Dasi Township (大溪) to pay their respects.

Young people must not waste vote

Taipei Times Editorial

Ahead of Saturday’s elections, presidential and legislative candidates alike have picked up steam in their campaigns to woo voters, with opposition parties in particular urging young people to vote.

The opposition’s anxiety over young people not voting is understandable, with local media reporting on the younger generation’s reluctance to vote, citing the inconvenience of having to return to their hometowns, the cost of transportation and schedule conflicts — with final exams for college students taking priority.

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