TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Wu Rong-hui (吳容輝), the acting chairperson of the Central Election Commission (CEC, 中選會), announced on Friday (March 6) that discussions regarding Li Chen Hsiu's (李貞秀) eligibility will commence after the new committee forms and personnel approvals conclude. Li, a Taiwan People's Party (TPP, 民眾黨) legislator-at-large, faces scrutiny over alleged dual residency, which violates the Act Governing Relations between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (兩岸人民關係條例).
Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) instructed government agencies to withhold information until Li's eligibility is confirmed. The CEC will handle the administrative process based on letters from the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC, 陸委會) and the Ministry of the Interior (內政部). Only the CEC, other political parties that registered at-large candidates, and prosecutors can file a lawsuit to invalidate Li's election due to her status as a legislator-at-large.
In an interview with the Legislative Yuan (立法院), Taiwan's legislature, Wu stated that if Li continued her role, the matter would be resolved under Article 20 of the Nationality Act (國籍法). This article stipulated that Republic of China nationals with foreign citizenship cannot hold public office unless they renounce their foreign citizenship before taking office and complete the process within a year.
MAC chairperson Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) emphasized that Li must have resided in Taiwan for 10 years to qualify as the law mandated that individuals who settled before legal amendments must cancel their Chinese citizenship within six months to maintain Taiwanese status. Failure to comply results in losing both Taiwanese identity and eligibility for public office. The MAC plans to collaborate with the CEC and election agencies to scrutinize candidates' eligibility, ensuring comprehensive qualification reviews for the upcoming nine-in-one elections.