Taiwan’s "Legislative Yuan" on Friday has agreed to consider a recall motion against embattled leader Chen Shui-bian in October.

 

By a vote of 106 to 82, the "Legislative Yuan" agreed to place the motion proposed by the People First Party (PFP) on the agenda for its next session to be held from October 11 to 13.

 

The "Legislative Yuan" will vote on the motion on October 13.

 

The Yuan will verify the motion in 15 days and Chen will be given the opportunity to file a defense paper seven days before the verification process.

 

The motion will need the support of two-thirds of the "Legislative Yuan" and at least 50 percent of the electorate if it’s to succeed.

 

Alleging "management incompetence" and a series of corruption scandals involving Chen's son-in-law, wife and some of his top aides, the Kuomintang (KMT) party and the PFP had called for Chen to step down in June.

 

A legislative vote to oust Chen on June 27 resulted in a boycott by lawmakers from Chen's Democratic People's Party (DPP), leaving only 133 members to cast their votes. Under Taiwan regulations, at least two thirds, or 148 members of the "legislature", must approve the motion for it to succeed. Of the 133 votes cast, 119 were in favor of the motion, 14 were invalid and none against.

 

According to Taiwan media reports, chances of the motion being approved by more than two thirds of the "legislature" were slim.

 

(Xinhua News Agency September 30, 2006)