TAIPEI (TVBS News) — The 11th term legislators reported for duty Thursday (Feb. 1) and will elect the new Speaker and Vice Speaker of the Legislative Yuan. Due to the possibility of a second round of voting in the speaker election, the event is drawing significant public attention.
The inauguration ceremony began with legislators reporting between 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m., followed by a red-carpet procession into the legislative chamber for the oath of office. Notable incumbents of the 11th term include Kuomintang (KMT) legislator Han Kuo-yu, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislator Wang Shih-chien, and Taiwan People's Party (TPP) legislator Huang Kuo-chang, who have all previously served in the Legislative Yuan.
The KMT has nominated Han Kuo-yu for the speaker position and Johnny Chiang as a deputy for the election, while the DPP has put forth You Si-kun as the speaker candidate and Tsai Chi-chang as his deputy. Meanwhile, the TPP has unanimously elected Huang Shan-shan as its candidate.
In terms of seats, the KMT controls 54 with the help of independent legislators Chen Chao-ming and May Chin. The DPP holds 51 seats, with the TPP securing eight.
According to current regulations, the Speaker and Vice Speaker are elected via a majority vote from all members present. If no one secures a majority in the first round, a second round is held between the two candidates with the highest vote counts. Given that none of the three parties hold a majority, a second round may be necessitated.
The speaker election, slated to be held from 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m., will be followed by the vice speaker election, which will take place from 2:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. The final results are expected to be announced by 5 p.m.