Taipei: Opposition legislators on Thursday accused President Lai Ching-te of refusing to accept democratic checks and balances after he did not attend legislative review sessions on an impeachment motion against him ahead of a final vote scheduled for May 19.
According to Focus Taiwan, the impeachment drive was initiated by the Kuomintang (KMT) and the Taiwan People's Party (TPP) following a standoff over amendments to a fiscal revenue allocation law. The opposition accused Lai of breaching the Constitution after Premier Cho Jung-tai refused to countersign legislation passed by the opposition-controlled Legislature, marking a first in the history of the Republic of China (Taiwan).
During Thursday's session, KMT caucus secretary-general Lin Pei-hsiang emphasized that no individual in the Republic of China is above the law. Lin stated, "We cannot accept a president elected through democracy who is unwilling to accept its constraints." KMT Legislator Niu Hsu-ting accused Lai of failing to respect the legislative majority, while Ko Ju-chun expressed frustration by throwing a stack of papers on the floor, claiming Lai had failed to fulfill 99 percent of his campaign promises.
Lawmaker Huang Chien-pin described the motion as a tool to compel the president to "hear the voices" of the public. Meanwhile, TPP lawmaker Hsu Chung-hsin stated on Wednesday that the impeachment bid aimed to "wake up" the president, citing Lai's failure to unite the ruling and opposition camps.
Other KMT legislators, including Hsu Yu-chen, Lo Chih-chiang, Chen Ching-hui, and Lai Shyh-bao, further accused the administration of undermining constitutional governance and weakening democratic oversight.
The ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), however, dismissed the impeachment drive as political theater. DPP caucus chief Chuang Jui-hsiung stated on Thursday that the party boycotted the review sessions because the opposition was turning a political dispute into an impeachment matter. Nonetheless, he confirmed that DPP lawmakers would attend the May 19 vote to formally oppose the motion.
The impeachment is expected to fail, as the KMT-led coalition and TPP, holding a combined 62 seats, fall short of the 76-vote (two-thirds) supermajority required to refer the case to the Constitutional Court. Removal from office would then require backing from two-thirds of the sitting justices. Currently, the court lacks enough sitting justices to meet the legal quorum for a final ruling.