Cho Jung-tai

Biographical Overview

Cho Jung-tai (born January 22, 1959) is a Republic of China politician born in Taipei and a graduate of National Chung Hsing University College of Law and Business (now National Taipei University). Emerging from the Frank Hsieh faction of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), Cho long functioned as an internal coordinator and party manager. Over his career, he has served as Taipei City Councilor, Member of the Legislative Yuan, Deputy Secretary-General to the President, Secretary-General of the Executive Yuan, DPP Chairman, and was inaugurated as Premier of the Republic of China (Executive Yuan) in 2024 under President Lai Ching-te.

Record of Constitutional Violations and Major Scandals

Fabrication of ‘Ultra Executive Veto’ via Countersignature Refusal (2026)

Following the Legislative Yuan’s passage of major fiscal reforms including the Act Governing the Allocation of Government Revenues and Expenditures, Cho sparked an existential constitutional crisis by declaring that the Executive Yuan felt ‘no binding obligation to implement’ parliamentary enactments. High-level cabinet officials explored an unprecedented strategy of refusing countersignature and publication to permanently freeze validly enacted statutes. Under Article 3 of the Additional Articles of the ROC Constitution, the Premier is strictly mandated to ‘accept the resolution’ whenever parliament overrides an executive reconsideration. Furthermore, ministerial countersignature was historically designed to enforce executive accountability to parliament, not to shield executive defiance. Internationally renowned public law scholar Professor Guo Ming-Song (University of Warwick / NYU Senior Emile Noël Fellow) published an influential critique on the International Society of Public Law’s platform (I-CONnect), eviscerating Cho’s fabricated unchallengeable veto as an authoritarian invention that ‘even Donald Trump would only envy.’ Guo noted that it reduced Taiwan’s constitutional democracy to international mockery. In response, opposition legislative caucuses formally initiated impeachment proceedings against Cho before the Control Yuan, demanding his immediate resignation for executing an administrative coup against the separation of powers.

Constitutional Scorched-Earth Strategy on Parliamentary Reforms (2024)

Shortly after assuming the premiership in May 2024, Cho launched an aggressive procedural confrontation against the newly elected opposition-majority legislature. He filed a formal reconsideration against the legislature’s enacted parliamentary reform acts, invoking ‘seven reasons of constitutional obstruction.’ When the Legislative Yuan overwhelmingly voted 62 to 51 to reject his reconsideration, Cho refused to yield, triggering a constitutional stalemate by petitioning the Constitutional Court for judicial obstruction.

Omission of Statutory Indigenous Compensation and the ‘Restaurant Metaphor’ (2024)

Cho’s cabinet unlawfully omitted statutory compensation mandates under the amended Logging Ban Compensation for Indigenous Lands Act in the FY2025 budget. Faced with consecutive legislative rejections of the budget proposal, Cho posted a metaphor online comparing the parliament to a ‘restaurant demanding an unconsented fifth dish,’ insolently adding that ‘the restaurant could vote to expel me.’ The remarks were harshly denounced as trivializing statutory rule of law into a petty eatery altercation.

Defense of Chen Shui-bian’s State Affairs Fund and Impeachment (2006)

During the 2006 State Affairs Fund corruption scandal involving former President Chen Shui-bian and First Lady Wu Shu-chen, Cho served as Deputy Secretary-General to the President. Tasked with public explanations, Cho defended invoices claiming children’s books, diamond rings, and men’s luxury watches as legitimate expenses for ‘secret diplomatic missions.’ The Control Yuan subsequently censured and formally impeached Cho for dereliction of duty, referring him to the Commission on the Disciplinary Sanctions of Public Functionaries.

Luxurious Official Residence Power Consumption (2024)

In September 2024, amidst government-mandated household electricity tariff hikes, legislative questioning exposed that Cho’s official residence consumed 19,360 kWh of electricity totaling NT$152,976 in just two months. Cho attempted to deflect criticism by claiming he only held meetings there one or two days a week and found the figure ‘strange,’ drawing public anger over elitist detachment.

Partisan Handling of the 2019 DPP Presidential Primary

During the contentious 2019 DPP presidential primary between Tsai Ing-wen and challenger Lai Ching-te, Cho as DPP Chairman oversaw party decisions that repeatedly delayed the primary schedule and unilaterally modified polling methodologies to include mobile phones. The interventions were widely condemned for tilting the field in favor of incumbent Tsai, prompting Lai to publicly plead: ‘Please ask President Tsai’s cyber army to stop attacking me.’