China slams Taiwan's DPP after opposition survives recall vote
In Saturday's vote, the KMT scored a sweeping victory, successfully defending all its contested seats and maintaining opposition control of Taiwan's legislature in alliance with the Taiwan People's Party (TPP).
Reacting to the results, Chen Binhua, spokesman for China's State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, accused the DPP of pursuing 'Taiwan independence' and attempting to dominate the legislature by inciting political conflict.
'The DPP has repeatedly used tactics to silence dissenting voices, creating a climate of green terror, and fueling social division,' Chen said, describing the party's approach as 'fake democracy, real authoritarianism.'
Among those who faced recall attempts were high-profile KMT lawmakers from Taipei and New Taipei, including Hung Meng-kai, who had won the highest number of votes in Taiwan's 2024 legislative election.
Ann Kao, the suspended mayor of Hsinchu and former TPP member, also faced a recall challenge following her conviction in a corruption case.While the DPP denies orchestrating the recall efforts, party leader and Taiwanese President William Lai Ching-te has openly backed efforts to unseat opposition lawmakers.A second round of recall votes is scheduled for August 23, as the DPP hopes to trigger by-elections that could help it reclaim a legislative majority.The votes come at a time when the DPP, having lost its legislative majority last year, faces mounting challenges in pushing forward its policy agenda. A successful recall would mandate a by-election within three months in the affected district. — Agencies
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Saudi Gazette
11 hours ago
- Saudi Gazette
China slams Taiwan's DPP after opposition survives recall vote
BEIJING — China on Sunday criticized Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) for what it called 'political manipulation' after all 24 opposition Kuomintang (KMT) lawmakers targeted in a recall vote retained their seats, according to state-run Xinhua News Agency. In Saturday's vote, the KMT scored a sweeping victory, successfully defending all its contested seats and maintaining opposition control of Taiwan's legislature in alliance with the Taiwan People's Party (TPP). Reacting to the results, Chen Binhua, spokesman for China's State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, accused the DPP of pursuing 'Taiwan independence' and attempting to dominate the legislature by inciting political conflict. 'The DPP has repeatedly used tactics to silence dissenting voices, creating a climate of green terror, and fueling social division,' Chen said, describing the party's approach as 'fake democracy, real authoritarianism.' Among those who faced recall attempts were high-profile KMT lawmakers from Taipei and New Taipei, including Hung Meng-kai, who had won the highest number of votes in Taiwan's 2024 legislative election. Ann Kao, the suspended mayor of Hsinchu and former TPP member, also faced a recall challenge following her conviction in a corruption the DPP denies orchestrating the recall efforts, party leader and Taiwanese President William Lai Ching-te has openly backed efforts to unseat opposition lawmakers.A second round of recall votes is scheduled for August 23, as the DPP hopes to trigger by-elections that could help it reclaim a legislative votes come at a time when the DPP, having lost its legislative majority last year, faces mounting challenges in pushing forward its policy agenda. A successful recall would mandate a by-election within three months in the affected district. — Agencies
Arab News
21 hours ago
- Arab News
Taiwan voters reject bid to oust China-friendly lawmakers in closely watched poll
TAIPEI, Taiwan: Taiwanese voters rejected a bid to oust about one-fifth of their lawmakers, all from the opposition Nationalist Party, in a recall election Saturday, dampening hopes for the ruling party to flip the balance of power in the self-ruled island's legislature. The independence-leaning ruling Democratic Progressive Party won last year's presidential election, but the China-friendly Nationalists, also known as the KMT, and the smaller Taiwan People's Party have enough seats to form a majority bloc. Official preliminary results showed that the recall efforts failed to remove any of the two dozen KMT lawmakers. The scale of the recall elections is unprecedented, with another seven KMT lawmakers facing a similar vote on Aug. 23. The KMT currently holds 52 seats, while the ruling DPP holds 51 seats. For the DPP to secure a legislative majority, at least six KMT lawmakers would need to be ousted, and the ruling party would need to win the by-elections, which must be held within three months of the announcement of results. For the recall to pass, more than a quarter of eligible voters in the electoral district must vote in favor of it, and the total number of supporters must exceed those voting against. If next month's poll results are also unfavorable to the DPP, it would mean that the government of Taiwan President Lai Ching-te could continue to face strong resistance from within the legislature before elections expected to take place in 2028. 'An uphill battle' Facing the setback, Lai said in a Facebook post that recall attempts and efforts to oppose them are both people's legitimate rights under its constitutional system. He thanked the civic power, saying the efforts were not in vain. They further established the national direction of resisting communists and protecting Taiwan, he said. 'Today's result is neither a victory for one side nor a defeat for another,' he said, adding that he hoped all parties would continue to safeguard Taiwan's democratic system. KMT chairman Eric Chu told reporters that voters had used their ballots to prove Taiwan's democracy is mature and great, calling for an apology from Lai. 'All Taiwanese people chose stability, chose that the government should focus on getting things done, rather than engaging in bitter political fighting,' he said. Despite their huge effort, those backing the recall were facing an 'uphill battle' in trying to unseat lawmakers in well organized, strongly KMT districts, said Lev Nachman, a professor of political science at National Taiwan University. The result is going to make it even harder for Lai to push his agenda forward, especially ahead of local elections next year, said Nachman, who is an expert on Taiwan's elections. 'At the moment, there is very little Lai can do other than try to think of other creative ways to appeal to the public,' he told The Associated Press. Fu Kun-chi, one of the most powerful and controversial lawmakers targeted, said the result left Lai with no option other than to meet with the opposition and 'find a way for Taiwan to proceed in a more stable way in this chaotic world.' DPP Secretary-General Lin Yu-chang said they humbly accepted the results, saying the recall should not be reduced to a victory or defeat for political parties. He said his party has the responsibility to reflect on public sentiment more cautiously and adjust its approach to meet people's expectations. Political retaliation claim Those who support removing the 24 lawmakers have criticized the KMT and its allies for blocking key legislation, especially the defense budget, and passing controversial changes that are seen as diminishing the power of the executive and favoring China, which considers the island its own territory. The opposition parties' actions sparked concerns among some Taiwanese about the island's democratic integrity and its ability to deter Chinese military threats, leading to the recall campaigns. But the KMT has accused the ruling party of resorting to political retaliation after it lost the legislative majority, saying the recalls were undermining and challenging Taiwan's democratic system. Tensions flared over the poll The elections have intensified tensions between those backing the status quo and those favoring improved ties with Beijing. Critics accuse China-friendly politicians of compromising Taiwan and take issue with their meetings with mainland Chinese politicians. But these Taiwanese politicians claim their connections are vital for dialogue given Beijing's refusal to interact with the DPP. China's Taiwan Affairs Office spokesperson Chen Binhua said the election results showed that the DPP's 'political manipulation' runs against the will of the people, accusing the party of having the ambition to attain 'one-party dominance,' Chinese state media Xinhua reported. Chen said the DPP's acts showed it was 'fake democracy, real authoritarianism.' The office is a branch of China's ruling Communist Party government, which itself maintains strict one-party rule. Taiwan's mainland affairs council said Wednesday that the Chinese authorities and state media had tried to blatantly interfere with the vote.
Arab News
2 days ago
- Arab News
Taiwan votes to decide whether to oust lawmakers from China-friendly party in closely watched poll
TAIPEI: Taiwanese were voting Saturday to determine whether to oust about one-fifth of their lawmakers, all from the opposition Nationalist Party, in elections that could potentially reshape the power balance in the self-ruled island's independence-leaning ruling Democratic Progressive Party won last year's presidential election, but the China-friendly Nationalists, also known as the KMT, and the smaller Taiwan People's Party have enough seats to form a majority who support removing the 24 lawmakers are angry that the KMT and its allies have blocked key legislation, especially the defense budget, and passed controversial changes that are seen as diminishing the power of the executive and favoring China, which considers the island its own opposition parties' actions sparked concerns among some Taiwanese about the island's democratic integrity and its ability to deter Chinese military threats, leading to the recall campaigns. The scale of the recall elections is unprecedented, with another seven KMT lawmakers facing similar votes on Aug. the KMT alleged the ruling party was resorting to political retaliation after it lost the legislative majority, saying the recalls were undermining and challenging Taiwan's democratic KMT holds 52 seats, while the ruling DPP holds 51 seats. For the DPP to secure a legislative majority, at least six KMT lawmakers would need to be ousted, and the ruling party would need to win all by-elections, which would need to be held within three months following the announcement of the recall to pass, more than a quarter of eligible voters in the electoral district must vote in favor of the recall, and the total number of supporters must exceed those KMT loses its seats in the recall elections, the party can file new candidates for the by-elections and may be able to win back the a Taipei polling station, voters old and young were waiting in line to cast their ballots. The poll will close at 4 p.m. local time, with results expected on Saturday elections have intensified tensions between those backing the status quo and those favoring improved ties with Beijing. Critics accuse China-friendly politicians of compromising Taiwan and take issue with their meetings with mainland Chinese politicians. But these Taiwanese politicians claim their connections are vital for dialogue given Beijing's refusal to interact with the asked about the recall election, China's Taiwan Affairs Office spokesperson Zhu Fenglian said in June that since the administration of Taiwan President Lai Ching-te came into power, it has sought to achieve 'one-party dominance' and practiced 'dictatorship' under the guise of 'democracy,' state broadcaster CCTV reported. She was quoted as saying that Lai's government has spared no effort in suppressing opposition parties and those who supported the development of cross-strait mainland affairs council said Wednesday that the Chinese authorities and state media had tried to blatantly interfere with the vote.
