Taiwan's National Assembly okays constitutional reform package
Taiwan's National Assembly voted yesterday in favour of a reform package which would allow public referendums on the constitution, a move likely to anger China which sees such polls as a means for the island to push for independence.
The 300-seat assembly, an electoral college nominated by political parties by proportional representation which deals exclusively with constitutional matters, voted by 249 to 48 to endorse the raft of reform measures.
The ruling Democratic Progres-sive Party (DPP) and the main opposition Kuomintang (KMT), which together hold 244 seats in the 300-member assembly, both support the constitutional changes.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. Changes include reducing the number of seats in the Legislative Yuan, or parliament, from 225 to 113 beginning from 2007.
Other provisions include extending legislators' terms from three to four years and using public referendums to change the constitution, which could lead to the abolition of the assembly itself.
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