Former People First Party (PFP) Secretary-General Lee Hung-chun (???) was confirmed Tuesday as vice president of the Control Yuan, Taiwan's highest watchdog body of government agencies and officials.
Lee, nominated to the position by President Tsai Ing-wen (???) on May 9, was confirmed in a 99-2 vote in the Legislative Yuan.
With the backing of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which holds 61 legislative seats, as well as the Taiwan People's Party, Lee's nomination easily surpassed the simple majority required for confirmation.
A veteran politician who served five consecutive terms as a PFP lawmaker between 2002 and 2020, Lee is also the younger brother of former Minister of the Interior Lee Hong-yuan (???).
The vice president's post has been vacant since the last round of Control Yuan appointments in 2020, when almost unanimous opposition from both the DPP and the main-opposition Kuomintang (KMT) led to Tsai abandoning plans to nominate Taitung County Magistrate Justin Huang (???).
The Control Yuan, which plays a supervisory and auditory role in Taiwan's political system, is responsible for investigating and disciplining public servants and agencies.
The body's 29 members, including a president and a vice president, are nominated by Taiwan's president and confirmed by the Legislative Yuan every six years.
Due to the delay in his appointment, Lee will ultimately serve a truncated four-year term as vice president until 2026.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel