Latest news with #pro-DPP
South China Morning Post
5 days ago
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
All 24 opposition Kuomintang lawmakers in Taiwan survive mass recall campaign
Read more: Voters in Taiwan rejected a mass recall campaign that targeted 24 opposition Kuomintang (KMT) lawmakers on July 26, 2025. Analysts said the result is a major setback for Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te and his ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). The mass recall campaign was initiated by pro-DPP civic groups with strong backing from the ruling party. The DPP and the civic groups claimed the opposition-controlled legislature had passed bills that were unconstitutional and harmful to national security.
South China Morning Post
25-07-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Taiwan recall: shock waves likely no matter who prevails on ballots, analysts say
Polling stations in Taiwan are set to open on Saturday as the island holds a landmark vote in a sweeping recall campaign that could tilt control of its legislature back to the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and test whether anti-Beijing sentiment remains the defining force in Taiwanese politics. The unprecedented mass recall vote – set to begin at 8am Saturday, primarily targeting lawmakers from the main opposition Kuomintang (KMT) – has triggered intense political debate and could shape the island's trajectory ahead of next year's local government polls as well as the election of the island's leader in 2028. Twenty-four legislators – all members of the Beijing-friendly KMT party – face recall votes organised by pro-DPP civic groups with strong backing from the ruling party. Another seven KMT lawmakers are set to face recall votes on August 23. All have been accused by recall organisers of 'selling out Taiwan to China'. Supporters of the recall campaign gather on Tuesday outside a Taipei metro station shouting 'Great recall, great success'. Photo: AFP 'The vote on Saturday is not just about legislative control. It is a litmus test for how far the 'resist China, protect Taiwan' campaign can go,' said Max Lo, executive director of the Taiwan International Strategic Study Society, a Taipei-based think tank. Beijing has denounced the recall campaign as political manipulation. Zhu Fenglian, a spokeswoman for mainland China's Taiwan Affairs Office, said Taiwan's leader William Lai Ching-te was 'using democracy as a cover for dictatorship' and 'suppressing the opposition by any means'. Those remarks have been seized upon by DPP supporters as proof of the KMT's alleged closeness to mainland China. Beijing, which regards Taiwan as a part of China to be reunited by force if necessary, has intensified military pressure on the island since Lai took office in May last year and provoked Beijing with 'separatist' and pro-independence remarks. The United States, like most other countries, does not recognise self-governed Taiwan as independent. However, it is opposed to any unilateral change to the status quo and is committed to supplying the island with weapons for defence.
South China Morning Post
13-04-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Taiwan braces as ruling DPP backs recall campaign in bid to retake control of legislature
Taiwan is bracing for a showdown as the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) throws its full support behind a sweeping recall campaign aimed at unseating opposition lawmakers, in a bid to regain control of the legislature. Advertisement The campaign – pushing for a recall petition where voters could remove the officials before their terms end – has energised pro-DPP civic groups and mobilised supporters island-wide. But analysts say it risks deepening partisan divisions and political instability at a time when the self-ruled island is facing intensified pressure from Beijing and economic uncertainty. The DPP's frustration with a legislature dominated by the opposition alliance is at the heart of the stand-off. The main opposition Kuomintang (KMT), which has warmer ties with Beijing, holds 52 of the 113 legislative seats. Together with the smaller Taiwan People's Party (TPP), which has eight seats, and two independents, the opposition has formed a fragile but effective majority. The DPP – which held a commanding legislative majority from 2016 to 2024 – now holds 51 seats. Of the opposition's 62 lawmakers, 13 KMT members and all eight TPP lawmakers are at-large representatives, meaning they are not subject to recall votes under Taiwan's electoral law. To reclaim a working majority, the DPP would need to successfully unseat and replace at least six district-based KMT legislators. According to data from Taiwan's Central Election Commission and civic groups leading the charge, 35 KMT lawmakers are currently facing potential recall. The campaign has gained steam after months of legislative gridlock, with the DPP accusing the opposition of paralysing the constitutional court, altering budgets, freezing government spending – including defence – and pushing through bills that allegedly threaten the island's security. DPP legislative caucus whip Ker Chien-ming called for a mass recall campaign in January. Photo: CNA
