Focus Taiwan
Date: 07/17/2020
By: Kuo Chien-shen, Yu Hsiang,
Chen Chun-hua and Matthew Mazzetta

Taipei, July 17 (CNA) Taiwan's Legislature on Friday broke out in scuffles and water balloon throwing — the third fight in the past two weeks — but lawmakers from the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) eventually managed to approve the controversial appointments of all 27 nominees to the government watchdog body Control Yuan, including former presidential aide Chen Chu (陳菊) as its president, as hundreds of people opposed to the nominations protested outside.

Chen, a former mayor of Kaohsiung and former secretary-general of the Presidential Office, was confirmed as president of the Control Yuan in a 65-3 vote, with two votes invalidated, in the 113-seat Legislature, in which the DPP holds a majority of the seats.

The other nominees were also confirmed after voting got underway at 9:11 a.m. Friday amid heavy protests, as lawmakers from the opposition Kuomintang (KMT) tried to stop the voting over the nomination.

The KMT legislators shouted slogans and attempted to overturn ballot boxes set up at the front of the legislative chamber. When the vote closed at noon, members of the KMT lobbed water balloons at Legislative Yuan Speaker You Si-kun (游錫堃) and at white boards set up to tally the votes, while DPP lawmakers clad in rain ponchos attempted to shield him with large styrafoam boards.    [FULL  STORY]