President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) promulgated the recently passed amendments to the Constitutional Court Procedure Act (憲法訴訟法) on Thursday, while calling on the Court to review the constitutionality of these amendments. The DPP caucus filed a second request for constitutional interpretation and a motion for preliminary injunctions. With the Lunar New Year approaching, attention has turned to whether the Court can issue a ruling before the holiday break on Friday.
The Legislature passed the amendments late last year, requiring that at least ten justices participate in constitutional rulings and that a minimum of nine justices agree to declare a law unconstitutional. However, with only eight justices currently on the bench—and the Legislature rejecting President Lai’s nominees to fill the vacancies—the Court is unable to meet the new quorum requirements.
At a press conference on Friday, DPP Secretary-General Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) explained that to protect citizen rights, the DPP will continue to seek breakthroughs within the legal framework. She emphasized that the DPP respects the justices’ authority to decide whether to accept these requests and the rulings they may render.
Meanwhile, KMT Legislative Caucus Secretary-General Lin Szu-ming (林思銘) criticized President Lai’s comments as inappropriate interference in legislative matters, arguing that such actions undermine the separation of powers among the executive, legislative, and judicial branches.
In response, Wu clarified that the president’s remarks accompanying the promulgation of legislation are within the constitutional scope of presidential authority.