Voting Begins to Recall KMT Lawmakers and Hsinchu Mayor Amid Political Tensions

Hsinchu: Voting in Taiwan commenced at 8 a.m. Saturday to recall 24 opposition Kuomintang (KMT) lawmakers and the suspended independent Hsinchu mayor, with voters seen lining up at polling stations throughout the country. According to Focus Taiwan, the targeted 24 KMT lawmakers were elected in January 2024, predominantly in northern Taiwan, a region traditionally dominated by the opposition. Notable figures facing recall include Wang Hung-wei, Hsu Chiao-hsin, Lee Yen-hsiu, Lo Chih-chiang, and Lai Shyh-bao, all representing Taipei electoral districts. Also facing recall is Hung Meng-kai from New Taipei, who garnered the highest vote count in the January 2024 Legislative election. Beyond these, the recall effort extends to one KMT lawmaker from Keelung, six from Taoyuan, one from Hsinchu City, three from Taichung City, one from Yunlin County in the south, one from Hualien County in the east - KMT legislative caucus whip Fu Kun-chi - and one from Taitung County in the southeast. This recall effort follows a po litical shift in 2024 when the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)'s Lai Ching-te won the presidency, although the DPP lost its majority in the Legislative Yuan. The KMT secured 52 seats, including 13 legislators at large, while the DPP won 51, and the Taiwan People's Party (TPP) captured eight, along with two independents aligned with the KMT. Han Kuo-yu of the KMT was elected as the legislative speaker. Post-election, the KMT collaborated with the TPP to pass several significant bills, including a cut in the central government's proposed budget, which the ruling DPP opposed. Despite the DPP's claim that civil groups initiated the recall votes, President Lai encouraged party members to support the campaign against KMT legislators. Tech guru Robert Tsao, leading informal civil groups, framed the recall as a defensive move to protect Taiwan from Chinese Communist Party influence. Following Saturday's voting, further recall votes for an additional seven KMT lawmakers are slated for August 23, targeting repres entatives from New Taipei, Taichung, Hsinchu, and Nantou counties, including Deputy Legislative Speaker Johnny Chiang. Both the KMT and TPP have urged citizens to vote against the recalls, promoting the need for democratic balance and judicial independence. In parallel, suspended Hsinchu Mayor Ann Kao, elected in 2022 as the first TPP local government head, also faces a recall. Kao, embroiled in a corruption scandal and leaving the TPP in 2024, was suspended following a court's seven-year and four-month prison sentence, alongside a four-year civil rights suspension. Under Taiwan's Public officials Election and Recall Act, a recall is successful if the supporting votes surpass those against and exceed 25% of eligible voters in the district. The Central Election Commission (CEC) will organize by-elections three months post-announcement of results, with the DPP aiming to regain a legislative majority. The CEC advised voters to bring necessary identification and refrain from using mobile phones or cameras at p olling stations, with violations incurring fines between NT$30,000 and NT$300,000. Campaigning related to the recalls is prohibited on voting day, with polls closing at 4 p.m., followed by immediate vote counting.