What is the status of the ‘recall’ vote in Taiwan? | Explained

The story so far: On July 26, Taiwanese citizens voted to recall 24 Kuomintang (KMT) opposition party lawmakers from parliament (Legislative Yuan), but in round one, all 24 members managed to retain their seats with people in their districts voting against their removal. The second round is slated for late August. The Great Recall vote, supported by the Bluebird Movement and the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), accused KMT of being in cahoots with China and of threatening national security.

When did the movement begin?

The movement started in 2024, as local protesters accused the opposition of blocking DPP bills and pushing controversial laws later declared unconstitutional. The movement failed to garner 25% support to recall opposition lawmakers in each district; DPP needed six KMT seats recalled to gain a legislative majority. Additionally, the second recall voting against seven seats of the KMT lawmakers will be conducted later this month. The DPP is pressured to get all seats in the upcoming recall vote. KMT, after its survival, is calling for a reshuffle of the cabinet.

What is the removal vote about?

The Taiwan Public Officials Election and Recall Act is a rarely used constitutional instrument, permitting citizens to remove elected officials. The act has three stages of checks to successfully remove an office holder. The first step requires a petition signed by at least 1% of the electorate, the second stage needs 10% support from the electorate, and in the final stage, 25% of the district’s eligible voters need to support the recall. After the Bluebird Movement, the DPP petitioned against KMT legislative lawmakers, accusing them of undermining national security by deferring to the Communist Party of China, and for passing bills without following procedural mandates. All 24 KMT lawmakers retained office by getting a majority of votes against their recall in their respective districts.

Why was the recall petition pushed?

The recall is a consequence of a divided government in Taiwan, with two different political parties leading the executive and legislative branches of government. The structural imbalance in the composition of parliament made the ruling party obsolete in fulfilling its legislative duties. Taiwan follows the unicameral system with 113 seats in its Legislative Yuan. DPP under former President Tsai Ing-wen enjoyed a majority in both the executive and legislative branches. This changed in the 2024 elections. The DPP’s presidential candidate William Lai Ching-te won with 40.1% vote. But DPP lost its legislative majority with 51 seats against KMT’s 52 seats and its ally Taiwan People’s Party’s (TPP) 8 seats, bringing the opposition’s total to 60. With this legislative majority, the opposition party blocked crucial bills proposed by the DPP. What ignited the civic movement was the hasty approval of controversial bills by the opposition.

The KMT introduced several bills and amendments that undermined the judicial and executive branches’ power, while awarding extrajudicial powers to the legislature. The proposed legislative reform bills ignored parliamentary deliberation and directly sent the bill to the plenary session to be passed. The Bluebird Movement, named after the street where the protest happened, was ignited by the egregious violation of the constitution. In May 2024, 1,00,000 protesters took to the streets of Taiwan calling against the violation of the law by the opposition.

Has it further polarised Taiwan?

The progressive recall vote, which empowered citizens to hold legislators accountable, has backfired by further polarising the parties and their support base. KMT’s survival raised the question whether the recall was even necessary, and if the movement was politically motivated by the DPP.

Femy Francis is a project associate with Area Studies-China, at NIAS, Bengaluru.