Speaker's vote blocks US beef ban

 Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) cast a key vote against the opposing parties' proposal to block off U.S. beef imports altogether, after the opposing parties won the first round of voting by mobilizing their legislators, yesterday.    The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), People First Party (PFP) and Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) jointly raised a proposal to deshelve all U.S. beef on the market in Taiwan, confiscate all U.S. beef in customs, and halt all potential imports of U.S. beef-related products.   The opposing parties surprised the ruling Kuomintang (KMT) by mobilizing all their legislators for the proposal, passing it with 42 votes against 39, while two legislators abstained. Having passed the proposal, the legislators from the opposing parties broke out in applause.   Meanwhile, Wang remained solemn, and KMT Central Policy Committee Director Lin Hung-chih (林鴻池) urgently requested a re-vote, reasoning that many KMT legislators were unable to show up during the original voting.   In the second round of voting, all 88 legislators were present, and supporting votes for the removal of U.S. beef from Taiwan markets tied with those that disapproved at 44 against 44. Immediately when the tie was announced, DPP Legislators Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘), Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲), Pan Men-an (潘孟安), and Chen Min-wen (陳明文) rushed up and confronted Wang at the rostrum.   The pan-green legislators argued that the result of the first round of voting should be acknowledged now that the second round lacked a consensus, a suggestion that the pan-blue legislators disagreed with. Wang announced a five-minute recess. When the session resumed, Wang pronounced, through his capacity as the legislative speaker, that he votes against the proposal.   This was the very first time Wang has voted in any legislative proposals as the speaker since he took up to the post in 1999.   Due to Wang's vote, the opposing parties' U.S. beef removal proposal ended up not passing by a vote of 44-45.