All recall votes against 24 lawmakers from the largest opposition party, the Kuomintang (KMT), were rejected, according to live vote counts by Taiwanese media. The voting followed a campaign begun by civic groups. The election result will come as a blow to President Lai Ching-te’s Democratic Progressive Party, which has missed an opportunity to reshape the Taiwan legislature and regain its majority. The government said the island’s largest-ever recall vote had faced “unprecedented” election interference by China, which claims the democratically governed island as its own - a claim Taiwan rejects. While Lai won last year’s presidential election, the DPP lost its legislative majority. The opposition has flexed its muscles since then to pass laws the government has opposed and impose budget cuts, complicating efforts to boost defence spending in particular.
“One should not lose the elections and then call for malicious recalls. One should not seek for one-party dominance and destroy democracy,“ he told a press briefing in Taipei.
The political drama comes as China ramps up a military and diplomatic pressure campaign against Taiwan to assert the territorial claims that Lai and his government reject. Lai has offered talks with Beijing many times but been rebuffed. It calls him a “separatist”. The heated recall campaign has been closely watched by China, whose Taiwan Affairs Office and state media have repeatedly commented on the vote and used some of the same talking points as the KMT to lambast Lai, Reuters reported this week. Taipei this week said Beijing was “clearly” trying to interfere in its democracy and it was up to Taiwan’s people to decide who should be removed from or stay in office.
“This time we saw China was trying everything it could to intervene,“ she told reporters at party headquarters in Taipei, pointing to Chinese military pressure and a disinformation campaign.
The groups seeking the recalls have said theirs is an “anti-communist” movement, accusing the KMT of selling out Taiwan by sending lawmakers to China, not supporting defence spending and bringing chaos to parliament. The KMT rejects the accusations, denouncing Lai’s “dictatorship” and “green terror” - referring to the DPP’s party colour.
Recall votes for seven other KMT lawmakers will be held on August 23. - Reuters
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