TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Former President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) cannot run for a legislative seat in the January 11, 2020 elections due to his conviction for corruption, the Central Election Commission (CEC) said Friday (December 13).
The Taiwan Action Party Alliance (TAPA), founded only this year, had nominated Chen at No.6 on its list of at-large candidates, who are elected through proportional representation with voters selecting a party, not the individual candidates.
The ex-president did not qualify to be a candidate because he had been convicted of corruption, the CEC said. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison, but was released on medical parole in January 2015.
Two other candidates were also disqualified, one because he had only just left his job as a prosecutor last October, and another one because he had violated the Election and Recall Act, the Central News Agency reported.
A total of 410 candidates will run for the 79 seats to be chosen directly per election district, and 19 parties with 216 candidates for the remaining 34 at-large seats, according to the CEC.