Taiwan’s unprecedented mass recall targeting 24 opposition lawmakers from a China-friendly party suffered a setback on Saturday, as all managed to retain their seats.

The outcome suggests that, with the opposition still controlling the legislature, challenges to President Lai Ching-te’s independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government are likely to continue.

Eric Chu, who chairs the China-friendly Chinese Nationalist Party, or Kuomintang (KMT), said Saturday’s results were “not about winning or losing for any political party, but a victory for the people of Taiwan.”

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“The results prove that Taiwan’s democracy is mature, and we thank the people for their choice,” Chu told a news conference late Saturday.

DPP lawmakers vowed to keep urging opposition legislators to fulfil their constitutional duties and put Taiwan’s interests first.

“Don’t misread these results,” said DPP legislative caucus chief Rosalia Wu. “This recall shows the strong resolve of many Taiwanese to resist communism, defend Taiwan, and uphold constitutional democracy,” she added.

DPP legislator Chen Pei-yu told Era News that the recall campaign, though driven by civic groups, faced an uphill battle in long-time KMT strongholds. She urged the public to stay engaged, with a second round of recall votes set for August.

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Recall organizers say the mass movement will help reinforce democracy, noting that the high share of “yes” votes in some districts revealed strong public distrust of incumbent lawmakers.

“This recall is definitely a legitimate and grass-roots movement,” said Taipei campaigner Amei, according to the Central News Agency.

Taiwanese tycoon Robert Tsao, a key recall campaigner, said the results were disappointing and blamed the the Chinese Communist Party’s deep infiltration into Taiwan and divisive tactics, which he said far exceeded public expectations.

This recall effort occurs amid a deepening political deadlock. Although Lai won the presidency in early 2024, the DPP holds only 51 of 113 legislative seats. The KMT controls 52 seats, the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) eight, and two independents aligned with the KMT bring the opposition’s majority to 62 seats.

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Taiwan’s opposition-controlled legislature has caused gridlock amid rising pressure from China.

The opposition majority has bypassed procedures to alter legislative powers and cut billions from the 2025 budget — including from defence, culture and key agencies — drawing criticism for potentially favouring China and weakening Taiwan’s government.

Taiwan, a self-ruled democracy of 23.4 million people, has maintained an independent government since KMT members fled to the island in 1949 after losing a civil war to the CCP. However, China views the democratic island as part of its territory and has repeatedly threatened to annex it by force if necessary.

China labels the DPP as a separatist force and refuses to hold talks with its leadership. Currently, the KMT maintains informal ties with the CCP, often promoting closer cross-Strait exchanges.

TAIPEI — In what could signal a covert victory for Beijing’s efforts to block military spending for the defense of Taiwan, voters on July 26 overwhelmingly rejected recall motions targeting 24 opposition Kuomintang (KMT) legislators and Hsinchu Mayor Ann Kao, preserving the opposition’s slim hold on parliament and delivering a political setback to President Lai Ching‑te’s Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).

Figures from Taiwan’s Central Election Commission show that none of the recall votes satisfied the dual legal threshold—at least 25 percent turnout and majority support for removal. Only six constituencies met the turnout quorum, and in each, more voters opted to retain the incumbent.

In Hualien County, KMT caucus whip Fu Kun‑chi survived a high-profile recall with 65,300 votes to keep him versus 48,969 in favor of removal. Fu, often criticized for his pro-China stance and considerable political influence in the east, denounced the effort as a “political takedown” and urged collaboration to stabilize the legislature.

As The Bureau previously reported, the campaign unfolded amid allegations of “unprecedented” interference by Beijing. Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council cited clear evidence of disinformation traced to the Chinese Communist Party’s Taiwan Affairs Office and state media, including coordinated activity on WeChat, TikTok, and Weibo. Meanwhile, Chinese warships and aircraft increased gray-zone pressure near the island.

The recall was widely perceived as a government-backed democratic initiative—supported by civic groups—to remove lawmakers seen as sympathetic to Beijing. The DPP portrayed it as a historic effort to defend sovereignty and unblock stalled defense and anti-infiltration legislation. Earlier this year, U.S. Senators publicly warned that KMT opposition to increased defense funding signaled a dangerous posture amid growing threats from the People’s Liberation Army.

Other KMT lawmakers also prevailed in districts that reached the quorum, with more “no” votes than “yes,” ensuring their retention.

Hsinchu Mayor Ann Kao, an independent aligned with the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), likewise survived her recall challenge, which failed on turnout grounds.

The outcome leaves the KMT and TPP controlling a 113-seat legislature—52 seats for the KMT and 8 for the TPP—compared to 51 for the DPP. The DPP had openly supported the recall in hopes of reclaiming control and advancing national security-focused bills, including military appropriations.

The mass recall campaign—driven by activists and civic groups and backed by figures like billionaire Robert Tsao—had aimed to recall at least six legislators to flip the legislative majority, but was ultimately unsuccessful. Turnout fatigue from January’s elections was a decisive factor, as many districts failed to reach the threshold.

Saturday’s outcome is a clear defeat for the DPP and a win for the political status quo. Seven more KMT lawmakers face recall votes on August 23, but analysts believe the message from this first wave underscores limited public appetite for aggressive recall campaigns. For now, the opposition retains the leverage to block President Lai’s agenda, and Beijing—whose United Front messaging favors the KMT—may claim the result as validation for its preferred interlocutors in Taiwan.

Five people have been killed in Ukraine and Russia as both countries launched a wave of overnight drone and missile attacks.

In Ukraine’s Dnipro region, three people died in Russian shelling, while two were killed in Russia’s Rostov region after a Ukrainian drone strike.

Ukrainian officials said Russia launched 235 drones and 27 missiles in a “massive combined attack” overnight.

Ten missiles and 25 drones found their targets, striking nine locations, while air defences shot down or intercepted the rest, according to Ukraine’s Air Force.

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“A terrible night. A massive combined attack on the region,” Serhiy Lysak, the governor of Dnipropetrovsk region, wrote on Telegram.

An additional six people were injured, he said, posting photos of smashed buildings, burnt-out cars and firefighters battling blazes.

Russian drone strike on Dnipro, Ukraine (Reuters)

In Dnipro city, a multi-storey building and a business were damaged, and a fire engulfed a shopping centre outside the city.

Ukraine’s southern Dnipro and northeastern Sumy regions also came under heavy rocket and drone attack.

Officials in Sumy reported three people injured after Russian drones hit a central square and damaged the regional administration building.

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Kharkiv also sustained intense bombardment.

Ukraine’s emergency services said six people were hurt, including four rescuers injured in a so-called “double tap” strike, where a second attack follows the first to target emergency workers.

Rescuers work at a damaged city hospital that was hit by a Russian guided air bomb in Kharkiv (AP)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky vowed that Russia would feel the consequences.

Russian military enterprises, Russian logistics, Russian airports must feel that the Russian war has real consequences for them,” he said.

“There can be absolutely no silence in response to such strikes, and Ukrainian long-range drones ensure this.”

Ukraine’s attacks on Russia have also intensified in recent months.

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Russia’s Defence Ministry said its air defences intercepted 54 Ukrainian drones overnight, including 24 over the Bryansk region and 12 over Rostov.

Officials in Moscow and other areas also reported drone attacks, though most were shot down.

In Russia’s Rostov region, which borders Ukraine, acting governor Yuri Slyusar said a Ukrainian drone attack killed two people.

Drones also struck an industrial facility in the neighbouring Stavropol region, sparking a brief fire, according to governor Vladimir Vladimirov.

People take shelter in a residential building in Kharkiv (Reuters)

Officials also reported drone attacks on Moscow and the Penza region southeast of the capital, though they were intercepted.

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In Russia’s Ingushetia region in the North Caucasus, a woman and three children were injured after a drone fell on a home, regional health officials said.

On the battlefield, Russia’s Defence Ministry claimed to have seized the village of Zelenyi Hai in the eastern Donetsk region and Maliivka in the Dnipro region. Kyiv did not comment on the claims.

Mr Zelensky said he had been briefed by Chief of Staff Oleksandr Syrsky on “active and long-range actions on Russian territory,” including clashes in Pokrovsky and efforts to repel Russian advances into the Sumy region.

“Our forces are consistently blocking Russian attempts to advance deep into the Sumy region from the border,” he said.

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Mr Zelensky added that drone production in Ukraine this year would “significantly exceed” earlier forecasts.

In Moscow, Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that peace talks had never truly been on the West’s agenda.

“If the West wanted ‘real peace’ in Ukraine, it would stop supplying Kyiv with weapons,” she said, according to state news agency TASS.

Russia’s Defence Ministry claimed its overnight strikes had hit Ukrainian military sites “that manufacture components for missile weapons, as well as produce ammunition and explosives.” The Independent could not verify this claim.

An unprecedented attempt in Taiwan to unseat 24 “pro-China” opposition politicians and give a parliamentary majority to the ruling party has failed, with voters in every seat rejecting the notion.

Polls opened on Saturday morning for the first 24 of 31 targeted electorates, with voters asked to agree or disagree with a proposal to recall the local legislator and hold a byelection.

Polls closed at 4pm local time and by 7pm the central election commission said all had failed to pass, reported CNA, the government media outlet.

Under the recall laws, for a seat to be vacated the number of voters in favour must be at least 25% of the electorate and outnumber the votes against.

View image in fullscreen Members of Taiwan’s main opposition party, Kuomintang, react to the early recall vote results. Photograph: Ritchie B Tongo/EPA

All 24 seats, as well as seven yet to hold a recall vote, are held by the opposition Kuomintang (KMT), which along with a smaller party has controlled the majority of Taiwan’s parliament since the election last year, when Lai Ching-te won the presidency for the Democratic Progressive party (DPP), a pro-sovereignty party that has vowed to push back against China’s aggression.

The opposition allies have used their votes to block DPP bills including defence budgets, freeze constitutional court appointments, and propose bills that critics said would weaken Taiwan’s defences. The obstructions led to mass protests from which the recall movement was born. The KMT are likely to be emboldened by their resounding victory on Saturday.

A flipping of just six KMT seats in Taiwan’s 113-seat legislature could have freed up president Lai Ching-te and the DPP’s agenda, but would also very likely draw increased hostility from China’s ruling Communist party, which despises Lai and his party, considering them “separatists” for opposing its plan to annex Taiwan.

Seven seats are still to vote on their recall motions in coming weeks, but Saturday’s losses will put the pressure on the campaigners to get six to vote “agree”.

On Saturday night, Lai urged people to accept the results of the vote, saying it was “not a victory for one party, nor a defeat for the other”, but a demonstration of democracy.

“After today, we still have many challenges, but we must prove to the world that Taiwan is a country that is capable of resolving internal disputes with a constitutional system, and is also a country that can unite each other with a democratic spirit after competition,” he said.

The KMT praised the result as a decisive rejection of DPP efforts to “overturn” an election. It also urged people not to see it “as a signal on cross-Strait or foreign policy, nor should it be interpreted through the lens of ‘pro-China’ or ‘pro-Taiwan’ alignment”.

“We stand with the people of Taiwan in their call for stability, competence and inclusive governance,” it said.

William Yang, a senior north-east Asia analyst for the International Crisis Group, said the recall campaign had deepened divisions in Taiwan.

“All sides, including all political parties in Taiwan, will need to seriously reflect on the process of this recall campaign and think about how they may be able to find common ground on issues that are key to Taiwan’s security and prosperity,” he said.

Yang said it also raised questions about the DPP using the threat posed by China in election campaigning, “at least at a local level”.

“China may view Saturday’s result as a sign that more Taiwanese people are not in favour of the ‘China threat’ rhetoric promoted by [Lai and the DPP], and this may make them feel like peaceful unification remains a viable option for them to resolve the ultimate ‘Taiwan question’,” Yang said.

“However, this doesn’t also mean that Beijing would dial down the level of military and political pressure that they are imposing on Taiwan.”

The unprecedented vote has fired up the island’s population, just 18 months after a national election. Large rallies were held in Taipei on the eve of the vote, with tens of thousands turning out to support both sides.

At an emotional DPP rally on Saturday, the campaign volunteer Julia Lin told the Guardian she was concerned the KMT would now feel “invincible”.

“Their actions have been extremely reckless, and they’ve lost the democratic values and legal knowledge that legislators in Taiwan should have,” she said.

“We didn’t succeed, but I believe we still need to keep trying to get our voices out there and attract more people to get involved to care about what’s happening in Taiwan right now.”

View image in fullscreen A child cheers as supporters of the Kuomintang party attend a rally against the recall campaign before Saturday’s vote. Photograph: Annabelle Chih/Reuters

The pro-recall campaign was driven by civil society groups and activists, but was subsequently endorsed by the DPP. They had aimed to oust as many as 31 KMT legislators who, they say, are pro-China actors who have risked Taiwan’s national security.

The KMT denies the accusations. They, like the DPP, oppose annexation by the Communist party of China (CCP), but say the best way to protect the status quo is through friendlier ties with Beijing. The party and its supporters have labelled the recall campaign an anti-democratic power-grab by people who won’t accept the results of last year’s election.

Retaliatory campaigns against DPP seats by the KMT all failed, with dozens of officials arrested over allegedly faking signatures.

Beijing has also denounced the recall campaign. The Taiwan affairs office previously accused Lai of being a dictator and seeking to achieve “one-party dominance”.

Taiwan’s mainland affairs council this week said it was “evident and clear” that the CCP was trying to interfere in Taiwan’s democratic process.

Supporters of the recall vote movement gather in Taipei, Taiwan July 24, 2025. REUTERS/Ann Wang Purchase Licensing Rights , opens new tab

Item 1 of 3 Supporters of the recall vote movement gather in Taipei, Taiwan July 24, 2025. REUTERS/Ann Wang

Summary One-fifth of lawmakers faced recall vote, all from opposition

Taiwan’s largest-ever recall election

All recall votes against opposition lawmakers failed

Supporters of move say opposition is too close to China

Opposition says it’s keeping communication lines open with Beijing

TAIPEI, July 26 (Reuters) – Taiwan opposition lawmakers survived a major recall election on Saturday, thwarting a bid to oust one-fifth of the island’s parliamentarians – a move supporters had hoped would send a message to China but that opponents said was an assault on democracy.

All recall votes against 24 lawmakers from the largest opposition party, the Kuomintang (KMT), were rejected, according to live vote counts by Taiwanese media. The voting followed a campaign begun by civic groups.

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The election result will come as a blow to President Lai Ching-te’s Democratic Progressive Party, which has missed an opportunity to reshape the Taiwan legislature and regain its majority.

The government said the island’s largest-ever recall vote had faced “unprecedented” election interference by China, which claims the democratically governed island as its own – a claim Taiwan rejects.

While Lai won last year’s presidential election, the DPP lost its legislative majority. The opposition has flexed its muscles since then to pass laws the government has opposed and impose budget cuts, complicating efforts to boost defence spending in particular.

KMT Chairman Eric Chu thanked Taiwan’s voters and called for Lai to apologise and reflect on his own governance.

“One should not lose the elections and then call for malicious recalls. One should not seek for one-party dominance and destroy democracy,” he told a press briefing in Taipei.

“Most importantly, the people of Taiwan chose stability and chose a government that gets things done, rather than political infighting.”

The political drama comes as China ramps up a military and diplomatic pressure campaign against Taiwan to assert the territorial claims that Lai and his government reject. Lai has offered talks with Beijing many times but been rebuffed. It calls him a “separatist”.

The heated recall campaign has been closely watched by China, whose Taiwan Affairs Office and state media have repeatedly commented on the vote and used some of the same talking points as the KMT to lambast Lai, Reuters reported this week.

Taipei this week said Beijing was “clearly” trying to interfere in its democracy and it was up to Taiwan’s people to decide who should be removed from or stay in office.

Wu Szu-yao, secretary general of the DPP’s legislative caucus, said the party respected the voters’ decision with pleasure, adding that the result would only strengthen the DPP’s “anti-communist and pro-Taiwan” stance.

“This time we saw China was trying everything it could to intervene,” she told reporters at party headquarters in Taipei, pointing to Chinese military pressure and a disinformation campaign.

“We must be more vigilant against their possible malicious intentions toward Taiwan.”

The groups seeking the recalls have said theirs is an “anti-communist” movement, accusing the KMT of selling out Taiwan by sending lawmakers to China, not supporting defence spending and bringing chaos to parliament. The KMT rejects the accusations, denouncing Lai’s “dictatorship” and “green terror” – referring to the DPP’s party colour.

The KMT campaigned against what it called a “malicious” recall that failed to respect the result of last year’s parliamentary election, saying they have simply been keeping lines of communication open with Beijing and exercising legitimate oversight of Lai’s government.

Recall votes for seven other KMT lawmakers will be held on August 23.

Reporting by Yimou Lee and Ben Blanchard; Editing by William Mallard

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