Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) members and supporters last night gathered outside the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office to protest investigations into alleged recall petition fraud, while supporters of recall efforts against KMT politicians announced a rally planned for tomorrow as recall deadlines approach.
KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) called on the party’s rank-and-file, including elected politicians, to protest outside the office, following searches carried out at the party’s Taipei chapter and the summoning of several people for questioning for alleged signature forgery in recall petitions against Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators.
Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安), Taoyuan Mayor Simon Chang (張善政) and a number of KMT legislators from Taipei and New Taipei City said they would join.
Photo: CNA
New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) posted a message saying that the justice system should protect citizens and not be used for oppression, although his aides were unsure if he would attend the rally.
Chu criticized the investigation, alleging that President William Lai (賴清德) is “becoming a dictator” by instructing the judiciary to probe the KMT’s recall petitions.
“Lai has personally interfered in the process by manipulating the Central Election Commission [CEC], ordering the judiciary to conduct searches and questioning to consolidate his power,” he said.
Meanwhile, citizen groups led by tech tycoon Robert Tsao (曹興誠) and YouTuber Pa Chiung (八炯) yesterday said they are organizing a rally on Ketagalan Boulevard outside the Presidential Office tomorrow afternoon.
“The recall drive is for us peace-loving people to fight against forces of violence, a showdown between good and evil, and to exercise our right to remove unsuitable KMT legislators, as they are selling out Taiwan and serving as Beijing’s lap dogs,” Tsao told a news conference in Taipei.
Events are to begin at 2pm, and would feature live music, and talks by prominent activists and figures, including retired military officers and surprise guests, the organizers said.
The main aim is for the public to sign recall petitions, which could be done at the event for all constituencies, as citizen groups would set up booths to gather signatures, Pa Chiung said, adding that a number of petitions are in the final stretch to reach the second-stage threshold at 10 percent of eligible voters.
Submission deadlines for recall petitions against most KMT legislators are coming up next month, with the earliest on May 2 for Huang Chien-pin (黃建賓) of Taitung County, the CEC said.
The dates differ, as they depend on when the lead petitioner registered the drive with the commission.
KMT-affiliated groups have initiated recalls against 15 DPP legislators, with most deadlines falling at the end of next month to mid-June, the CEC said in a statement.
Other deadlines are on May 4 to recall KMT legislators Fu Kun-chi (傅?萁), Ma Wen-chun (馬文君), Tu Chuan-chi (涂權吉), Yu Hao (游顥), Lu Yu-ling (呂玉玲), Cheng Cheng-chien (鄭正鈐) and Lu Ming-che (魯明哲).
The deadline is May 5 for petitions against KMT legislators Johnny Chiang (江啟臣), Niu Hsu-ting (牛煦庭) and Wan Mei-ling (萬美玲).
The earliest deadline against DPP lawmakers is May 31 for indigenous legislators Chen Ying (陳瑩) and Saidhai Tahovecahe, followed by Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌) and Ho Hsin-chun (何欣純) on June 6, and legislators Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) and Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶) on June 7.
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