Non-partisan lawyer Lai Hau-min became the chairman of the Central Election Commission (CEC) Wednesday, vowing to stamp out vote-buying in Taiwan's elections. Lai, who has no political affiliation and has been a CEC commissioner for 21 years, took over the CEC chairmanship from his predecessor Chang Cheng-hsiung. He will be the first person to lead the CEC since it gained a legal basis on July 1 when an organic law on its operations took effect. Lai expressed the hope that the legalized CEC would become an independent, just and impartial organization resistant to political interference. He pledged to do his best to get rid of vote-buying and other kinds of irregularities in Taiwan's elections to ensure the sound development of the country's democracy. Prior to passage of the CEC Organic Act, the commission existed on the basis of an administrative decree and was under the control of the executive branch, which some argued undermined its legitimacy. Under the new law, the premier is authorized to nominate the commission's chairman, vice chairman and seven to nine commissioners, who all must then be confirmed by the legislature. The Legislative Yuan on Tuesday approved the nomination of Lai made by then Premier-designate Wu Den-yih to chair the CEC in early September. 