Recall campaigns targeting seven Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers all failed yesterday, with “no” votes surpassing the “yes” votes and none of the supporting votes exceeding the one-quarter threshold.
Following the recall voting on July 26 targeting 24 KMT legislators, which also failed, the voting yesterday aimed to oust seven other KMT legislators: Lo Ming-tsai (羅明才) from New Taipei City, Lin Szu-ming (林思銘) of Hsinchu County; Yen Kuan-heng (顏寬恒), Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) and Yang Chiung-ying (楊瓊瓔) of Taichung; and Ma Wen-chun (馬文君) and Yu Hao (游顥) of Nantou County.
The voting was held between 8am and 4pm yesterday, and ballots were counted publicly at the voting stations immediately after.
Starting from 4pm, the “no” votes continuously exceeded the “yes” votes, and at about 5:20pm to 6pm, targeted legislators and recall activist groups declared that the recall campaigns had failed.
According to the Civil Servants’ Election and Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法), a recall campaign passes if the number of “yes” votes exceeds the number of opposing votes, and if the supporting votes surpass one-quarter of the total number of eligible voters in the legislator’s electoral district.
None of the total “yes” votes exceeded the one-quarter threshold, and the “no” votes accounted for between 64.48 percent and 69.28 percent of the votes, Central Election Commission data showed.
Photo: Chang Hsuan-tse, Taipei Times
The “yes” and “no” votes for recalling the legislators resulted in 49,990 (34.08 percent) and 96,691 (65.92 percent) for Lo; 33,813 (30.72 percent) and 76,239 (69.28 percent) for Lin; 54,396 (35.51 percent) and 98,809 (64.49 percent) for Yen; 33,977 (32.74 percent) and 69,796 (67.26 percent) for Chiang; 43,677 (34.34 percent) and 83,511 (65.66 percent) for Yang; 29,914 (33.33 percent) and 59,828 (66.67 percent) for Ma; and 33,853 (35.52 percent) and 61,443 (64.48 percent) for Yu.
The voter turnout ranged between 49.24 percent and 50.34 percent.
All 31 KMT legislators that faced recall voting this year have secured their seats.
Liao Chih-yen (廖芝晏), who initiated the recall against Chiang, said that although their goal was not achieved, it does not mean their belief was wrong.
They believed in protecting Taiwan’s democracy and freedom, so they stood up and exercised their constitutional right to recall, which drew the public’s attention, Liao said, adding that their efforts would not go to waste.
KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said that the results represented “the people sounding their loudest alarm bell to the ruling party’s arrogance,” and that Taiwan could no longer continue idling or tearing itself apart.
He also called for reforms in five areas: saving the economy and people’s livelihood and ending under-the-table negotiations, reconstructing the nation’s energy resilience, restoring judicial independence, “returning” to the separation of powers and ending what he called the “constitutional crisis that is heading towards dictatorship,” and mending social divisions and confrontation.
Additional reporting by Shih Hsiao-kung and CNA
In his National Day Rally speech on Sunday, Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong (黃循財) quoted the Taiwanese song One Small Umbrella (一支小雨傘) to describe his nation’s situation. Wong’s use of such a song shows Singapore’s familiarity with Taiwan’s culture and is a perfect reflection of exchanges between the two nations, Representative to Singapore Tung Chen-yuan (童振源) said yesterday in a post on Facebook. Wong quoted the song, saying: “As the rain gets heavier, I will take care of you, and you,” in Mandarin, using it as a metaphor for Singaporeans coming together to face challenges. Other Singaporean politicians have also used Taiwanese songs
NORTHERN STRIKE: Taiwanese military personnel have been training ‘in strategic and tactical battle operations’ in Michigan, a former US diplomat said More than 500 Taiwanese troops participated in this year’s Northern Strike military exercise held at Lake Michigan by the US, a Pentagon-run news outlet reported yesterday. The Michigan National Guard-sponsored drill involved 7,500 military personnel from 36 nations and territories around the world, the Stars and Stripes said. This year’s edition of Northern Strike, which concluded on Sunday, simulated a war in the Indo-Pacific region in a departure from its traditional European focus, it said. The change indicated a greater shift in the US armed forces’ attention to a potential conflict in Asia, it added. Citing a briefing by a Michigan National Guard senior
CHIPMAKING INVESTMENT: J.W. Kuo told legislators that Department of Investment Review approval would be needed were Washington to seek a TSMC board seat Minister of Economic Affairs J.W. Kuo (郭智輝) yesterday said he received information about a possible US government investment in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) and an assessment of the possible effect on the firm requires further discussion. If the US were to invest in TSMC, the plan would need to be reviewed by the Department of Investment Review, Kuo told reporters ahead of a hearing of the legislature’s Economics Committee. Kuo’s remarks came after US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick on Tuesday said that the US government is looking into the federal government taking equity stakes in computer chip manufacturers that
CLAMPING DOWN: At the preliminary stage on Jan. 1 next year, only core personnel of the military, the civil service and public schools would be subject to inspections Regular checks are to be conducted from next year to clamp down on military personnel, civil servants and public-school teachers with Chinese citizenship or Chinese household registration, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. Article 9-1 of the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例) stipulates that Taiwanese who obtain Chinese household registration or a Chinese passport would be deprived of their Taiwanese citizenship and lose their right to work in the military, public service or public schools, it said. To identify and prevent the illegal employment of holders of Chinese ID cards or
RSS