Both the ruling and opposition parties have proposed amendments to the Election and Recall Law, suggesting a relaxation of the "probationer ban" clause. Hearings are scheduled for next week. Lawyer Li Yusheng explains the provisions of the Public Officials Election and Recall Law and raises concerns about frequent amendments.

Proposals from both ruling and opposition parties to amend the election and recall law, potentially excluding those on probation from running for office; hearings scheduled for next week | Next TV News, Era News reporters Wu Quan-jun and Xia Jun-cheng

News link:https://youtu.be/0NBBZFHqMRw?si=hrv7cWhPWpqZjeWS

Kuomintang (KMT) legislator Chen Yu-chen and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislator Lin Shu-fen have both proposed amending the Election and Recall Law to relax the restriction that "those on probation are not allowed to run for office." The bill is scheduled for review next Wednesday. However, lawyers point out that reverting to amendments made just three years ago not only undermines the stability of the law but also risks raising suspicions of biased interpretations, making such a direction of amendment unlikely to gain public support. Amidst the political divide, it's rare to see a consensus on amendments, but convincing the public still seems to require further discussion.

Attorney Li Yu-sheng of Fidelity Law Firm stated that the Public Officials Election and Recall Act of 2023 stipulates that those sentenced to imprisonment, even with probation, are still ineligible to run for office during the probation period. This is because even with probation, a conviction is still a criminal record, and therefore the integrity threshold for public officials should be maintained. However, only two or three years later, a legislator proposed amending the law to abolish this restriction. This short-term relaxation not only undermines legal stability but also easily raises questions about "favoring certain individuals for specific purposes." Given society's expectations of high ethical standards for public officials, this direction of amendment is unlikely to gain public approval.

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