Taiwan "lawmakers" voted yesterday to hold a special session of "parliament" 
to consider a motion that could lead to the ousting of "president" Chen 
Shui-bian amid a swirl of corruption scandals embroiling his family members.
Passage of a so-called recall motion would authorize a referendum on whether 
Chen, whose approval ratings have sunk to record lows, should step down. 
 
 
   A demonstrator wearing 
 a mask of Taiwan's leader Chen Shui-bian and holding a soccer ball with 
 the word which means "corrupt" is shown red cards by other protesters in 
 Taipei, June 13, 2006. Taiwan's "parliament" launched a motion to oust 
 Chen on Tuesday, turning up the heat on Chen over a series of scandals 
 involving his family and former aides. 
[Reuters] | 
The "legislature" initiated the recall process yesterday by a vote of 113-97. 
Once the recall ball gets rolling, "parliament" has 15 days to deliberate the 
issue and can summon witnesses. Analysts say the opposition is hoping this will 
bolster public support for Chen to step aside.
Chen has seven days from the start of proceedings to offer a written defence.
But analysts say that although the opposition holds a slim majority in the 
225-seat "Legislative Yuan," it lacks the two-thirds required to push such a 
motion through.
The opposition, which holds 113 seats, would need the support of the 10 
independent "lawmakers" and another 25 from Chen's ruling Democratic Progressive 
Party (DPP) for the referendum move to succeed.
The special "parliament" session is scheduled from today to June 27, and the 
recall motion was likely to top the agenda.
"Why did we bring up the recall? With the first family involved in 
irregularities, in terms of moral standards they have lost the people's trust," 
said Tseng Yung-chuan, KMT "legislative" caucus whip.
If the recall measure is ultimately rejected, the opposition camp formed by 
the KMT and the People First Party is expected to push for a vote of no 
confidence against Chen's "cabinet" when "parliament" reconvenes in September.
About 20,000 people took to the streets of Taipei on Saturday for the second 
consecutive weekend, calling for Chen to quit. 
Dozens of protesters turned out at the legislative building yesterday, 
holding placards and shouting anti-Chen slogans. More protests are planned for 
next weekend.
Chen has come under increasing pressure from the opposition to step down.
His son-in-law, Chao Chien-min, was detained last month on suspicion of 
insider trading, and Chen's wife, Wu Shu-chen, has been accused of accepting 
millions of Taiwan dollars of department store gift vouchers.
In the latest poll by cable television station TVBS, 53 per cent of 
respondents said they wanted Chen to step down and 66 per cent thought he was 
not suitable to be "president."
(China Daily 06/13/2006 page2)