Although the popularity of President Ma Ying-jeou and his administration have dipped to their nadir in the wake of Typhoon Morakot, the opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is unsure how it can win support from people who are dissatisfied with the performance of Ma while it weights whether to push for a no-confidence vote, according to DPP members. Cheng Li-chiun, executive-director of the Taiwan Thinktank which is friendly to the DPP, has called on the DPP lawmakers to oust Premier Liu Chao-shiuan by initiating a vote of no-confidence in the Legislative Yuan. In light of the fact that Liu's approval rating has plunged to 20 percent because of his administration's bungled rescue operation, Cheng claimed there is a good chance that the premier will be forced to step down. According to the Constitution, a no-confidence vote could be held at the request of one third of the lawmakers and approved by a majority of lawmakers. However, a premier who is voted out of his post may ask the president to dismantle the legislature and call for a snap election before he leaves his post within ten days after a no-confidence vote. Although the DPP controls only one third of the legislative seats, Cheng argued that some lawmakers of the ruling Kuomintang (KMT), also upset with Ma's administration, may vote across party lines. However, Cheng's suggestion was greeted with a cold shoulder from the DPP, with Tuan Yi-kang, a member of the party's Central Standing Committee, saying that the DPP would not necessarily win the backing of KMT lawmakers who are displeased with the KMT administration. 'The Democratic Progressive Party's popularity among the people do not rise because of the Kuomintang's losses,' he said. Furthermore, an attempt to drive out the Cabinet as the country was busy with post-disaster reconstruction could be considered a partisan political maneuver and backfire against the DPP, Tuan said. 'We have to do something to convert the Kuomintang's losses into our political gains rather than sit on our hands waiting for the Kuomintang to drive its supporters to us,' Tuan said. Former DPP lawmaker Lin Cho-shui agreed with his views, saying it would be better to initiate a motion for a no-confidence vote against the Cabinet when the reconstruction work was well underway. 'The no-confidence vote should be proposed as an examination of the premier's job performance rather than a political struggle leveled against the Kuomintang.' he said. In addition to being dissatisfied with the central government officials, Taiwan's public is also disappointed with local officials' handling of the typhoon disaster. The worst-hit areas are controlled by officials who are members of the DPP and in many of these areas residents were not evacuated, leading to the high death toll. 