Taiwan’s opposition protests ahead of recall vote

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Supporters of a Taiwan recall vote shout ‘Great recall, great success’ in Taipei on July 22, 2025, ahead of recall elections this month. (Photo: AFP)

TAIPEI – Taiwan’s main opposition will protest on Friday, the eve of unprecedented recall elections targeting its lawmakers that could tip the balance of power to President Lai Ching-te’s ruling party.

Supporters of Lai’s Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) are seeking to unseat 31 Kuomintang (KMT) lawmakers who they accuse of being pro-China and a threat to national security.

The KMT, which advocates closer ties with Beijing, controls parliament with the help of the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) and has slammed the recall effort as undermining the self-ruled island’s democracy.

Two dozen KMT lawmakers could lose their seats on Saturday in a legal process that allows the public to oust elected officials before the end of their term.

Another seven face recall elections on August 23.

The DPP needs a minimum of 12 KMT lawmakers to be recalled to give it a “temporary functional majority” in parliament, political analyst Wen-Ti Sung told AFP.

It would then need to flip six seats in by-elections later this year to secure control of the 113-seat legislature.

Started by civic groups this year, the recall campaigns have dominated Taiwanese politics, newspaper headlines and social media feeds for months.

The DPP lost its parliamentary majority in the 2024 elections that swept Lai, who is detested by Beijing, to the presidency.

Since then, the KMT and TPP have joined forces to stymie Lai’s agenda and cut the government’s budget.

A series of opposition bills, including reforms expanding parliament’s powers and freezing the constitutional court, sparked brawls in the legislature and massive street protests last year.

– ‘Unprecedented’ –

The scale of the recall campaign was “unprecedented” in Taiwan, Dafydd Fell, an expert on Taiwan politics at the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies, told AFP.

It reflected the “strengths of Taiwanese civil society, which has responded to what it perceives as a serious threat to Taiwan’s democracy and sovereignty,” he said.

For a KMT lawmaker to lose their seat, the number of votes in favour of recalling them must exceed those against and also be more than 25 percent of the total number of registered voters in the electorate.

A KMT bid to have 15 DPP lawmakers recalled failed.

With turnout critical, DPP supporters have been standing outside subway stations, in public parks and at food markets for weeks urging people to vote “yes”.

Thousands of people gathered in the rain near the Presidential Office Building on Thursday night in a show of support for the recalls.

KMT legislators fighting for their political lives have also taken to the streets to persuade voters to oppose the recall.

Their supporters are expected to protest on Friday, hours before polling stations open across the island.

With many recall votes happening in KMT strongholds, Fell said it would be difficult for the DPP to win control of the parliament.

“Even if some of the KMT legislators are recalled, other KMT politicians might win the seats back in the resulting by-elections,” he said.

– China looms large –

National Taipei University political scientist Liu Chia-wei said the recall vote had become an “ideological duel” between the DPP and KMT, as China loomed large.

Taiwan’s top policy body on China said this week there was “visible evidence” Beijing was trying to “interfere” in the election process.

China insists Taiwan is part of its territory and has ramped up military and political pressure on the island to press its claim of sovereignty.

Lai’s government has repeatedly warned of the growing threat from Chinese espionage, disinformation and cyberattacks that it says are aimed at weakening the island’s defences.

Public opinion on the recalls is divided.

Aaron Yu, 32, said he supported the campaign because “most of the bills passed by KMT lawmakers are pro-China”.

But restaurant worker Sharon Chen criticised it as a waste of money, saying voters had already made their decisions in last year’s elections.

“Just because a certain party lost, they can’t accept the result and now want to recall someone the people chose, I think that’s just senseless,” the 65-year-old said.

How a vote targeting ‘pro-China’ lawmakers has split Taiwan

4 hours ago Share Save Tessa Wong BBC News, Taipei Share Save

Getty Images Taiwan’s legislators have engaged in brawls in parliament in recent months amid a heated political deadlock

For most of his life, Deng Pu didn’t see himself as an activist – but that changed last year. Furious at what he felt was undemocratic behaviour by Taiwan’s lawmakers and overt Chinese influence in parliament, he joined thousands of others in a massive street protest. Two months ago, he signed up with a campaign group. He has never done these things before. “Previous social movements were important, but to be honest they didn’t make me this angry,” the 39-year-old photographer told the BBC. “We are citizens… and we need to make sure our society sticks to its democratic systems and spirit.” Now, that anger is reaching a turning point. On Saturday Taiwan will hold a vote to decide whether to kick out more than two dozen lawmakers accused of being too close to China, in what has been called “dabamian”, or the Great Recall. The unprecedented vote may alter the balance of political power in Taiwan. But already it has deepened political divisions, with both sides of the debate claiming to be the saviour of Taiwan’s sacred democracy. It began with last January’s elections, when voters chose the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) William Lai as their president, but gave the opposition the dominant presence in the parliamentary Legislative Yuan. In the following months, the main opposition party Kuomintang worked together with the smaller Taiwan People’s Party and independents to block DPP bills and pass controversial pieces of legislation. This included limiting the constitutional court’s powers, cutting the government’s budget, and raising the threshold for holding recall votes. These moves provoked significant outrage among some Taiwanese, who saw them as stymying the DPP government while strengthening the opposition’s parliamentary power. In May 2024, thousands began holding protests in what became known as the Bluebird movement, named partially after the Taipei street where many had gathered.

Getty Images Protests last May against Taiwan’s lawmakers drew tens of thousands of people

Many in the movement believe the opposition, led by the Kuomintang which is known for its relatively friendlier position on China, is being influenced by Beijing and secretly pushing China’s agenda in Taiwan’s legislature. The party has denied this, but suspicion grew when a group of Kuomintang lawmakers visited China last year and were welcomed by top-ranking Chinese Communist Party official Wang Huning. Civic groups in the Bluebird movement launched petitions to oust various Kuomintang lawmakers, while Kuomintang supporters retaliated by doing the same to some DPP lawmakers. So far, petitions for 31 lawmakers’ seats have received enough preliminary support to proceed with a final recall vote. All these seats are held by the Kuomintang – and if enough are successfully recalled, it could mean the DPP eventually gains the majority in the legislature. While Taiwan has held recall votes before, it has never seen so many within such a short space of time. On Saturday, citizens in 24 districts will vote on a simple yes or no question: whether they agree to boot out their legislator. Another round of voting will be held in August for the remaining recall cases. In each district, if the number of votes exceeds 25% of registered voters and more than half approve the recall, the seat will be vacated and a by-election must be held within three months. This means that voter turnout is crucial for the Great Recall’s success – and it is the reason why civic groups have been relentlessly flooding social media and pounding the streets canvassing for votes. On a recent weekday night, Deng Pu and several members of his civic group stood outside a Taipei subway station. Some held up banners and chanted slogans, while others distributed paper fans and tissue packets emblazoned with the words “Let’s go out together to vote” and “Say yes to the recall”. Mr Deng acknowledged that with several of the recall votes taking place in Kuomintang strongholds, even if they did succeed, the party could be re-elected in by-elections. Even so, the Great Recall would still be worth it, he insisted, as it was a way to “correct our democracy”. Whatever the result may be, it would “send a strong signal to all the political parties you must respect the latest wishes of Taiwan’s citizens.” Mr Deng acknowledged that many in the Bluebird movement were DPP supporters, but denied that the civic groups were funded by the party – a theory heavily pushed by the opposition. “We don’t care whether DPP wins the by-elections. What’s more urgent to us is that we hope to have a normal parliament, one that is not close to China and the Chinese Communist Party.” He also took issue with what he saw as a weak response from the DPP, saying: “From the first recall petition till now, the civic groups have been telling the DPP that the citizens are here and there are many of us… We are strongly calling on the DPP to join us.”

BBC / Tessa Wong Deng Pu decided to join the Bluebird movement as he was angry at what he saw as undemocratic behaviour by Taiwanese lawmakers

The DPP had initially sought to distance itself from the Great Recall. But eventually it showed its support, with Lai stressing that the DPP “must align with the power of the people” and ordering party officials to assist pro-recall groups to “protect the nation”. This has inevitably fueled the opposition’s accusation that the DPP has secretly engineered the Great Recall and Bluebird movement, pointing to the fact that the DPP could reap the most political gain. It not only stands a chance of winning a permanent majority in the legislature. Even if the Kuomintang eventually wins in the by-elections, the DPP would have held the majority for a few weeks, giving it enough time to push through crucial laws. Anti-recall protests organised by the Kuomintang and other opposition parties have drawn thousands. At one such rally in the New Taipei district of Banqiao last weekend, supporters showed up waving banners and chanting “No to the vote” while crossing their arms. As they took to the stage, speaker after speaker condemned the Great Recall while characterising William Lai as a fascist and authoritarian traitor of Taiwan’s democracy. Large screens played videos of Lai doctored to make him look like Adolf Hitler with the words “Fuhrer Lai”, as well as the slogan “Green Terror” – a reference to the DPP’s party colour and the White Terror, a period of authoritarian rule and political repression under the Kuomintang. The rhetoric echoed that of Beijing, which has waded into the debate while watching from afar. Its Taiwan Affairs Office has accused Lai of “engaging in dictatorship under the guise of democracy” and “using every means possible to suppress the opposition”. “The recall lawmakers were chosen by the majority of voters in their districts. If they are not good enough, they can be voted out in the next election,” said rally attendee Mu Zili. “Why should we be using this evil way of getting rid of them?” The 68-year-old night shift worker insisted that the lawmakers were being targeted simply because they belonged to the Kuomintang, and that the Bluebird activists were working for the DPP. “You can’t have one party take down the other one in one big recall, this is not democratic,” Ms Mu said. “I side with blue,” she added, referring to the Kuomintang’s party colour. “But I don’t oppose green. I’m here not because I support the Kuomintang, but to protect democracy.” But there are also many Taiwanese who are on the fence. Watching the anti-recall rally from the sidelines was Banqiao resident Peggy Lin. Like several other bystanders the BBC spoke to, she was bewildered by the fuss over the Great Recall. “I don’t know what it’s about really, I haven’t followed the debate at all… so I don’t have an opinion,” said the 43-year-old childcare worker. “I will vote after I read more into it and decide based on how I feel on that day about it.”

BBC / Tessa Wong Supporters at a recent rally in Banqiao held up inflatable sticks and crossed them to indicate their opposition to the Great Recall

Taiwan’s sweeping recall vote targeting opposition lawmakers could reshape its legislature and intensify tensions with China, as President Lai Ching-te backs the campaign amid accusations of Beijing interference. read more

In a move that may sharpen cross-strait frictions with China, President Lai Ching-te has thrown his weight behind a rare and sweeping recall vote that could see up to 31 opposition lawmakers unseated, more than a quarter of Taiwan’s parliament.

The vote, scheduled in two phases on July 26 and August 23 has been framed by its backers as a grassroots effort to defend Taiwan’s democracy. However, the Kuomintang (KMT) opposition party has accused Lai and his ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) of orchestrating a politically motivated campaign to weakening rivals and tightening control over the legislature.

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The DPP lost its legislative majority in January 2024 elections despite winning the presidency for a third straight term. Since then, the opposition led by the China-friendly KMT and its ally, the Taiwan People’s Party has pushed legislation that many DPP supporters view as curbing Lai’s powers.

Amid growing tensions, civil groups launched recall drives against several KMT legislators earlier this year, accusing them of compromising national security and aligning too closely with Beijing. Though initially distant, the DPP has increasingly embraced these campaigns with lawmakers and party officials now openly supporting recall efforts. Lai recently declared that his party “must stand with the power of the people.”

The KMT, however, has called the recalls a “malicious” attempt to reverse the parliamentary outcome and accused the DPP of staging a “fake civil movement.” It says its outreach to China is crucial, given that Beijing has cut off official contact with the Lai administration, branding it separatist.

KMT lawmakers, who regularly visit China, say their engagement is intended to protect Taiwan’s economic interests and ensure open communication amid rising regional tensions. But civil society groups backing the recalls have characterised the movement as “anti-communist,” accusing KMT politicians of working against Taiwan’s sovereignty by undermining defence spending and parliamentary order.

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The stakes are high. If the recalls succeed, Lai’s party could regain a foothold in parliament—potentially clearing the way for expanded military funding and closer alignment with the United States. But such a shift could also inflame China, which has escalated its military and diplomatic pressure on Taiwan in recent years and rejected repeated offers of dialogue from Lai.

China’s state-run media has painted the recall drive as a DPP power grab, frequently referring to it as a “green terror” or move toward “dictatorship”—terms echoed by the KMT. According to Taiwan’s IORG research group, Chinese state media and affiliated accounts published more than 400 pieces on the recall between January and June 2025.

Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council has condemned what it calls clear efforts by the Chinese Communist Party to interfere in the island’s democratic processes. “Recall in Taiwan is a civil right,” it said, “and it is up to the people of Taiwan to decide who should or should not be removed from office.”

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DPP leaders have pointed to the alignment between Beijing’s rhetoric and the KMT’s statements as further evidence of Chinese interference. “China is really concerned that the mass recall will succeed and gain public support,” said DPP legislative caucus secretary general Wu Szu-yao.

KMT officials continue to deny pro-Beijing accusations. “We’ve always stressed that we are pro-communication, not pro-China,” said Tony Lin, chair of the KMT’s Culture and Communication Committee. The party maintains that the recall push is less about democracy and more about Lai’s alleged incompetence and attempts to centralise power.

As the recall vote nears, it has become a proxy battle not only for legislative control but also for Taiwan’s long-running contest between those favouring closer ties with China and those advocating a more assertive defence of the island’s sovereignty.

With inputs from agencies

Taiwan is preparing for its biggest-ever recall election on Saturday targeting nearly a fifth of its lawmakers, all from the main opposition party.

The outcome could shift the balance of power and offer president Lai Ching Te’s Democratic Progressive Party a brief window to take control of the parliament.

The unprecedented recall vote is being led by civic groups who accuse the opposition Kuomintang of working against Taiwan’s interests by reducing key budgets, especially for defence, and pushing legislation to weaken the government.

They accuse the KMT lawmakers of acting in line with China’s interests and describe their campaign as an “anti-communist” movement.

The KMT denies having a pro-China stance, maintaining that it’s exercising its constitutional duty to scrutinise government policy and curb waste.

Party officials say the recall campaign is politically motivated and an attempt by Mr Lai’s party to impose “dictatorship” and undermine the will of voters who delivered the opposition and its allies a legislative majority in last year’s election.

Two dozen Taiwanese opposition lawmakers and a mayor are facing recall votes (AFP via Getty)

Although Mr Lai won the presidency last year, his party lost its majority in the 113-member parliament. The KMT and the smaller Taiwan People’s Party, along with independent allies, now control 62 seats, compared to the ruling party’s 51.

This shift enabled the opposition to stall the government’s legislative agenda and block proposed spending increases, particularly in areas like defence.

A total of 24 opposition lawmakers now face recall votes on Saturday, with seven more votes scheduled for 23 August.

The recall will proceed only if turnout exceeds 25 per cent of registered voters in the constituency and the number of votes in favour of removal exceeds those against. If a recall is successful, a by-election must be held within three months.

The KMT is free to nominate new candidates or field the same ones, many of whom represent strongholds with safe margins.

Ruling party leaders have been actively campaigning for the recall campaign. Mr Lai urged party members last month to back the campaign, although he did not personally join the trail.

Critics of the KMT argue the recalls are necessary to counter what they see as the party’s alignment with Beijing’s agenda.

Chinese state media and officials have publicly condemned the recall campaign, echoing KMT arguments and accusing Mr Lai of authoritarianism.

Zhu Fenglian, spokesperson for China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, described the recalls as part of Mr Lai’s alleged campaign to “suppress the opposition” and govern through “dictatorship under the guise of democracy”.

Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council dismissed the remarks on Wednesday claiming the Chinese Communist Party’s attempt to influence Taiwan’s democratic process was “evident and clear”.

“Recall in Taiwan is a civil right guaranteed by the constitution, and it is up to the people of Taiwan to decide who should or should not be removed from office,” it said in a statement, citing findings from local research body IORG documenting over 400 instances of Chinese state media content criticising the recall as “green terror” or authoritarian.

Robert Tsao, a billionaire backing the recall effort, said China’s interference only confirmed the KMT’s ties to Beijing. “It shows they are together with the Communist Party. It helps us,” he said at a recent rally.

KMT officials distanced themselves from the support voiced by China, insisting the party neither solicited nor welcomed Beijing’s backing.

“We feel the same way as all the people of Taiwan – this is our business,” said party spokesperson Crystal Yang. “It is the two parties, the DPP and the KMT, fighting for public support… It has nothing to do with the mainland.”

Tony Lin, who chairs the KMT’s Culture and Communication Committee, defended the party’s engagement with China, stating it was necessary for keeping diplomatic channels open in the absence of dialogue between Beijing and Mr Lai’s administration. “We are pro-communication,” he said. “Not pro-Beijing.”

The recalls come at a time of heightened cross-strait tensions, with China ramping up military exercises and diplomatic pressure on Taiwan.

Despite repeated offers for talks, Mr Lai’s government has been spurned by Beijing, which labels him a separatist.

On a steamy night deep in one of Taipei’s most conservative suburbs, a group of elderly neighbours are yelling at each other next to a garbage truck. They have just been handed a leaflet by a university student calling on them to recall – expel – their sitting legislator.

There are hundreds of these campaigners across Taiwan, targeting members of the Kuomintang (KMT) opposition who they accuse of being too pro-China. But this neighbourhood is deeply loyal to the party, and the campaigners are not welcome.

A woman shouts angrily: “Throw that leaflet away! … We are against the recall!”

The group of activists are pushing to overturn the balance of power in Taiwan’s government, just 18 months after the national election. They are using an extraordinary mechanism that allows civilians to vacate individual seats midterm, in a way it has never been used before.

The campaign’s success has taken everyone by surprise. More than 30 of Taiwan’s 113 legislators are facing recall – the highest number in Taiwan’s history. All of them come from the opposition KMT party.

The campaign has set off a political storm across Taiwan, with arrests, assaults, and accusations of authoritarianism and collaboration, fuelling the island’s already deep political divisions.

The first 24 recall votes will take place on Saturday, and another seven in August, at a cost equivalent to about £40m. If just six are expelled the party will lose its majority in parliament to the ruling Democratic Progressive party (DPP).

Both sides say they are fighting for Taiwan’s democracy.

An existential fight

In the 2024 election Lai Ching-te and the DPP won the presidency but not the legislature, where the KMT and smaller Taiwan People’s party hold the majority. The two have spent much of the past year blocking bills and stalling constitutional court appointments, sparking brawls indside the legislature and mass protests outside, from where the recall movement was born.

The campaigners calling for the KMT recall are a collection of civic groups who have won the backing of the ruling DPP.

View image in fullscreen In April tens of thousands of opposition party supporters rallied in Taiwan’s capital, Taipei. Photograph: Charlie Chu

What started as a protest against opposition obstructionism has become about the existential threat of China, where the ruling Communist party (CCP) plans to annex Taiwan. Campaigners claim the targeted legislators are too close to China and are undermining Taiwan’s national security, pointing to those who have visited Beijing and met with senior officials, and a raft of proposed China-related bills that they say will weaken Taiwan’s defences.

“Certainly a good number of these legislators have stated on the record their support for pro-Beijing policy, or at the least strong anti-DPP policy,” says Lev Nachman, a political science professor at National Taiwan University.

“There’s a difference between anti-DPP and pro-Beijing, but from the recallers’ perspective these have become synonymous.”

The KMT denies the accusations against its MPs. The party officially opposes annexation by the CCP but argues the way to preserve peace is through friendlier ties with Beijing. Fu Kun-chi, a controversial senior KMT legislator up for recall, told Nikkei Asia it was in the spirit of “fostering mutual understanding” that he went to Beijing and met with Wang Huning, Xi Jinping’s chief adviser overseeing Taiwan relations. Critics said Fu was “selling out Taiwan”.

The KMT and its supporters see the recalls as a grab for power by people who can’t accept the legitimate election results. They are misusing Taiwan’s democratic processes to “suppress opposition voices”, a senior KMT official told a recent background briefing.

A scandal-filled campaign

The recall mechanism is a drawn-out process that first requires two rounds of signature collections in an electorate: 1% of voting residents and then a separate 10%. Once approved by electoral officials a date is set for the recall vote. A majority must agree to vacate the seat, and the number in favour must exceed 25% of the number of voters in the constituency. If successful, a byelection with new candidates is held within three months, and the recalled legislator is banned from running again for seven years.

Thousands of campaigners have swarmed street corners, transit stations, and the designated garbage collection points where residents bring their trash to trucks each night – first chasing signatures and now lobbying for votes.

View image in fullscreen Supporters of the recall movement gather in Taipei. Photograph: Ann Wang/Reuters

The campaign battle between the two sides has been hostile, scandal-filled, and very public.

Retaliatory petitions against DPP seats by the KMT failed spectacularly. None were approved, and dozens of officials were arrested on accusations of faking signatures and using the names of dead residents to fill petitions.

In April the KMT party chief, Eric Chu, called Lai a “dictator” who is “more communist than the communists, more fascist than the fascists”. A KMT spokesman told the Guardian Chu’s comments were “a sharp critique of what he sees as the DPP’s growing authoritarian tendencies”.

In June Lai drew criticism of his own after he appeared to refer to opposition forces as “impurities” that needed to be “driven out”, in one of a planned 10 speeches designed to “unify the nation”. The Presidential office said the comments were taken out of context and his speech was “about using democracy to temper the power of national unity”. That same month Robert Tsao, a tech tycoon supporting the recall campaign, told Nikkei Asia that he wanted to “burn” down the entire KMT party, which he called a “Trojan horse” for Beijing.

On the ground, campaign workers have been doxed and assaulted in the streets – those working in Dazhi wore body cameras and were accompanied by a well-built volunteer as their security guard.

The cities and towns are plastered with billboards, while trucks loaded with LCD screens drive laps of the streets blaring accusations of treason and collaboration.

Tens of thousands of people have protested for and against the recall around Taiwan.

“These people were elected, and you’re wasting resources to try and turn them out,” said Patrick at a pro-opposition rally. “We need to keep the country running smoothly instead of constantly wasting money.”

In Dazhi, resident Sarah Li says pro-China legislators have to go. She says they are blinded by favourable treatment from Beijing and supporters – like most of her neighbours – are ignoring the current climate to stay loyal to their party.

View image in fullscreen A truck carrying LCD screens parked in central Taipei urges people to vote to expel opposition legislators. Photograph: Helen Davidson/The Guardian

“They don’t care about people’s lives,” she says of the legislators. “They just want power, political power.”

It’s illegal to discuss polling this close to the vote, but observers, like Taiwan-based political commentator Courtney Donovan Smith, say that people in support of the recall are far more likely to actually go and vote.

“There’s more people against these recalls, but they’re not all that motivated,” he says.

Politics as usual or something worse?

Beijing is likely watching the chaos with some glee. Fomenting social division is a key part of its strategy, and right now local politics is doing the CCP’s job. Much of the saga has made its way into CCP propaganda seeking to undermine Taiwan’s government with state media reporting the campaign as “extremist” activity to “remove opposition voices”.

On Wednesday, Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council said it was “evident and clear” that the CCP was trying to interfere in Taiwan’s democratic process.

At a press briefing on Friday, Taiwan’s vice-president, Hsiao Bi-Khim, said the recalls were a constitutional civic right just like elections, and a sign of Taiwan’s “robust” democracy.

“I think it’s pretty obvious that China has been very proactive in trying to utilise hybrid means of disrupting our social cohesion: disinformation, infiltration, United Front tactics, et cetera. And that is why we also feel strongly that we need to step up to better defend and protect our society, and at the same time build greater unity,” she said.

Asked about international concerns over the fighting, she said it was a challenge, but: “Is there any democracy that doesn’t have deep political divisions?”

No analyst or politician the Guardian spoke to for this story dared to predict an outcome.

Nachman says he has never seen Taiwan more divided.

“That wound needs to be addressed, regardless of who wins in the end.”

Additional research by Jason Tzu Kuan Lu and Lillian Yang