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
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