In news from and about Taiwan this morning,

The newly appointed chair of the Central Election Commission has been
sworn-in.

Speaking at a handover ceremony, Michael You thanked President Lai Ching-te
and Premier Cho Jung-tai for their support and he pledged to lead the
commission as a neutral, fair, objective and professional body.

You also outlined the agency's key priorities - those being upcoming
elections, referendum procedures, absentee voting and the political rights of
naturalized Chinese spouses.

According to You, as the local elections are just seven months away,
preparations will need to proceed at an accelerated pace, while he believes
the commission must act cautiously when handling referendum proposals from
the Legislative Yuan.

You told reporters he believes as Taiwan's elections are increasingly
complex, implementing absentee voting in major elections will be challenging
and should first be tested in referendums.

And he went on to say the recent case of China-born Li Chen-hsiu, who lost
her legislative seat after being expelled from the Taiwan People's Party,
exposed gaps in existing laws.

You was a member of the D-P-P before leaving the party in 2019 and previously
served as the chairman of the Taiwan Public Opinion Foundation.