Sat, Jul 26, 2025 page1

• All 24 KMT lawmakers survive recall votes to maintain opposition control of Taiwan’s legislature

  • Staff writer, with CNA and AP
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  All 24 lawmakers of the main opposition Chinese Nationalists Party (KMT) on Saturday survived historical nationwide recall elections, ensuring that the KMT along with Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) lawmakers will maintain opposition control of the legislature.

  Recall votes against all 24 KMT lawmakers as well as Hsinchu Mayor Ann Kao (高虹安) and KMT legislative caucus whip Fu Kun-chi (傅崐萁) failed to pass, according to Central Election Commission (CEC) figures.

  In only six of the 24 recall votes did the ballots cast in favor of the recall even meet the threshold of 25 percent of eligible voters needed for the recall to pass, according to CEC numbers as of 7pm. However, in all six cases, the number of votes opposing the recall exceeded those cast in favor, leading the campaigns to fail.

  

  A Taiwanese resident casts her vote during a recall election in Taipei, Taiwan, on July 26, 2025. Taiwanese citizens headed to the polls to determine the fate of 24 lawmakers from the main opposition party, the Chinese Nationalists Party (KMT).

  Photo: EPA

  In the other 18 recall elections, the number of votes against the recall exceeded those in favor, and the threshold of pro-recall votes was not met as of 7pm.

  It was a major defeat for the governing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and civic groups pushing the recall votes, which had hoped to remove lawmakers they had argued were pro-China and obstructing the government’s policies.

  The pro-Taiwan DPP won last year’s presidential election, but the China-friendly KMT and the smaller TPP have enough seats to form a legislative majority bloc.

  

  A voter in a wheelchair, second right, is brought to a booth after arriving at a polling station by ambulance to vote in the recall election in Taipei on July 26, 2025. Taiwanese voters turned out at schools, churches, and community centres on July 26 to cast their ballots in a high-stakes recall election that could give President Lai Ching-te's party control of the parliament.

  Photo: AFP

  While vote counting was still under way, preliminary results showed that the recall efforts failed to remove any of the two dozen KMT lawmakers, with most surviving by sizeable margins.

  The scale of the recall elections is unprecedented, with another seven KMT lawmakers facing similar votes on Aug. 23.

  If the August vote results are also unfavorable to the DPP, the outcome signals that the government of President William Lai (賴清德) could continue to face strong resistance from within the legislature before the next elections, which are to take place in 2028.

  

  Despite their huge effort, those backing the recall were facing an “uphill battle” in trying to unseat lawmakers in well-organized, strongly KMT districts, said Lev Nachman, a professor of political science at National Taiwan University and an expert on Taiwanese elections.

  The result will make it even harder for Lai to push his agenda forward, especially ahead of local elections next year, Nachman said.

  “At the moment, there is very little Lai can do other than try to think of other creative ways to appeal to the public,” he said.

  

  Fu, one of the most powerful and controversial lawmakers targeted, said the result left Lai with no option other than to meet with the opposition and “find a way for Taiwan to proceed in a more stable way in this chaotic world.”

  Both sides say they are for democracy.

  Those who supported removing the 24 lawmakers were angry that the KMT and its allies have blocked key legislation, especially part of the defense budget, and passed controversial changes that are seen as diminishing the power of the executive and favoring China, which considers Taiwan its territory.

  The opposition parties’ actions sparked concern among some Taiwanese about the nation’s democratic integrity and its ability to deter the Chinese military threat, leading to the recall campaigns.

  However, the KMT said the ruling party was resorting to political retaliation after it lost the legislative majority, saying the recalls were undermining and challenging Taiwan’s democratic system.

  The KMT holds 52 legislative seats, while the governing DPP holds 51 seats. For the DPP to secure a legislative majority, at least six KMT lawmakers would need to be ousted, and the ruling party would need to win the by-elections, which must be held within three months of the announcement of results.

  The elections have intensified tensions between those backing the “status quo” and those favoring improved ties with Beijing. Critics accuse China-friendly politicians of compromising Taiwan’s interests and take issue with their meetings with Chinese politicians, while these politicians claim their connections are vital for dialogue given Beijing’s refusal to interact with the DPP.

  The Mainland Affairs Council said on Wednesday that the Chinese authorities and state media had tried to blatantly interfere with the vote.
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