The constitutional standoff between Taiwan's Executive Yuan and Legislative Yuan has escalated once again — bad news for both sides, and a further complication in an already intractable policy deadlock.

• Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu said that however great the power to govern may be, it cannot exceed the Constitution, criticising the Executive Yuan for repeatedly refusing to countersign or implement legislation, which he said would shake the constitutional order.

• The Democratic Progressive Party's legislative caucus hit back, saying that however many seats a party holds in the legislature, they likewise cannot exceed the Constitution, and that the Constitution is not a cash card for the legislative majority.

• At issue is a children and youth welfare bill that would require the Executive Yuan to allocate budget for it for 18 consecutive years, which critics say hollows out the Executive Yuan's budgetary authority.

• The DPP caucus said the countersignature system is written into the Constitution itself, and was not invented by Premier Cho Jung-tai or by the DPP.

Outlook: Neither side is likely to back down in the near term, and the dispute will probably head towards a constitutional interpretation or further legislative gridlock.