New Party Chairman Yok: James Soong’s Running Mate Hasn’t Finished Renunciation of US Citizenship Process

New Party Chairman Yok: James Soong’s Running Mate Hasn’t Finished Renunciation of US Citizenship Process

                        Source: Taipei newspapers       November 21, 2011

The Central Election Commission (CEC) will begin today to accept official registrations for candidates in the 2012 Presidential election. In an exclusive interview with the China Times, a Taipei-based newspaper, New Party chairman Yok Mu-ming (郁慕明) said yesterday that anyone who held foreign citizenship was not eligible to register as a formal Presidential or Vice Presidential candidate in accordance with the provisions of the ROC “Presidential and Vice Presidential Election and Recall Act.”

During the interview, Yok stated that Lin Ruei-shiung (林瑞雄), People First Party (PFP) Vice Presidential candidate, had not completed all the procedures required to formally renounce his US citizenship, adding that this was why he always believed that PFP chairman James Soong would drop out of the race in the end.     

In response, CEC Secretary-General Teng Tien-yu (鄧天佑) commented yesterday that a would-be candidate was not eligible to register with the CEC as a formal Presidential or Vice Presidential candidate as long as he/she was still in the process of renouncing foreign citizenship because the CEC would consider the would-be candidate as a person with dual citizenship in accordance with the relevant laws.  

When asked about the issue, PFP chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) explained that the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) had issued a document, proving that his running-mate Lin Ruei-shiung had renounced his US citizenship under oath, so there was no problem with Lin’s nationality.

However, during the interview with the China Times, Yok said, “Although Lin declared that he had already renounced his US citizenship, the AIT answered my enquiry, saying that for a person to finalize the renunciation of his/her US citizenship, he/she would have to go through three stages, including tax auditing, national security issues, and whether or not he/she was involved in any legal cases. It normally takes from three months to one year to complete the whole process before a formal renunciation under oath is held and the US State Department decides whether or not to approve the renunciation application.”  

[Editor’s Note: 1) According to the provisions of the Presidential and Vice Presidential Election and Recall Act, a would-be Presidential or Vice-Presidential candidate must be an ROC national without dual citizenship. 2) However, candidates for Legislative or local elections have one year to complete their renunciation of foreign citizenship following their election.  People appointed to government posts likewise have a one-year grace period to renounce their foreign citizenship.] 

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