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)