The storm over excessive carcinogens in Taiwan's edible oil continues to spread. Taipei Mayor Jiang Wan'an said on a live political talk show on the 27th that passing a motion of no confidence to make Taiwan's Premier Cho Jung-tai step down and take responsibility would be the best way to demonstrate responsible politics. If the two opposition parties, the Kuomintang (KMT/Blue) and the Taiwan People's Party (TPP/White), reach a consensus, both sides should jointly push for a no-confidence motion.
During an exclusive interview on the program "Midday Assembly," Jiang Wan'an revealed that quite a few legislators have privately mentioned the topic of a no-confidence motion to him recently. He believes that if it is possible to pass the motion and make Premier Cho Jung-tai step down to be held accountable, it would be the best demonstration of responsible politics.
Jiang Wan'an analyzed that if the no-confidence motion is established, according to the rules, legislative by-elections will be held within 60 days. At that time, the legislative election will be decoupled from the presidential election and will become a mid-term election during the president's term, further strengthening the parliament's oversight power.
However, Jiang Wan'an emphasized that this move would have wide-ranging impacts. The KMT must first build internal consensus and will also need support from the TPP caucus. Only after thorough discussions from all sides will further action be taken.
On the evening of the 25th, the KMT and TPP jointly held a rally on Ketagalan Boulevard in Taipei City, titled "I Am Human, I Oppose Poisoned Taiwanese Food," demanding that President Lai Ching-te apologize and Premier Cho Jung-tai step down. According to organizers, the rally drew more than 200,000 participants.