Taiwan move to recall opposition lawmakers fails
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Diverging Reports Breakdown
Thai man mourns wife and children killed in shelling near Cambodia border
Komsan Prachan, 40, lost his wife and two children when a Cambodia’s artillery shell slammed into the gas station and destroyed the attached 7-Eleven convenience store. More than 30 people, mostly civilians, have been killed on both sides of the border since the fighting started on Thursday. The fighting has become the worst escalation between the two Southeast Asian nations in more than a decade. Both sides have accused each other of starting the conflict and more than 130,000 people have been displaced by the fighting, with schools forced to close their doors.”The war is good for no one. They should both talk to each other peacefully. The war only brings loss, loss, and loss,” said Komsan.
Item 1 of 4 Komsan Prachan, 40, who lost his wife and two children when a Cambodia’s artillery shell slammed into the gas station and destroyed the attached 7-Eleven convenience store, reacts during a meeting with officials at a temple in Sisaket province, Thailand, July 26, 2025. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha
SISAKET, Thailand, July 26 (Reuters) – When the Thai and Cambodian armies began shelling at their contested border on Thursday, Komsan Prachan thought his family was far enough away from the fighting to be safe.
The farm worker received a phone call from his children’s school asking parents to collect their kids, so he and his wife went and picked up their 14-year-old daughter, 9-year-old son, and their son’s friend.
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On the way home, they stopped at a gas station about 3 km (2 miles) from their house.
Moments later, an artillery shell slammed into the station, destroying the attached 7-Eleven convenience store where Komsan’s family and the friend had gone to buy snacks.
“All I was thinking then was, my wife and kids,” the 40-year-old told Reuters at a relative’s home in Sisaket province.
“I lost all hope. I could only stand and watch.”
More than 30 people, mostly civilians, have been killed on both sides of the border since the fighting started on Thursday, in what has become the worst escalation between the two Southeast Asian nations in more than a decade. Both sides have accused each other of starting the conflict.
Komsan could hear explosions from early on Thursday morning, but he did not think he needed to evacuate because his house was not in a danger zone.
“I didn’t think it would hit this area. There was no bunker around that area as it was considered a safe zone.”
Komsan and his wife met in high school. They married after working together for several years in Bangkok, and raised their two children.
“Having them in my life was the greatest blessing,” he said.
More than 130,000 people have been displaced by the fighting, with schools forced to close their doors. Local university campuses are being used as temporary shelters for those forced to flee their homes.
“The war is good for no one. They should both talk to each other peacefully. The war only brings loss, loss, and loss,” said Komsan.
The bereaved husband and father accused the Cambodian government of indiscriminately firing into civilian areas.
“This is not just war, this is murder.”
Reporting by Shoon Naing and Artorn Pookasook; Editing by John Mair and Jan Harvey
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All of Taiwan’s opposition lawmakers, mayor survive ‘recall vote’
All 24 lawmakers of the main opposition Kuomintang (KMT) up for recall survived the votes. Recall vote against Hsinchu Mayor Ann Kao also failed to pass. Observers see the vote as a push by the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to shift power in the legislature. A second round of recall votes is scheduled for Aug. 23.
All 24 lawmakers of the main opposition Kuomintang (KMT) up for recall survived the votes, ensuring that the KMT, along with Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) lawmakers, will maintain opposition control of the legislature, Focus Taiwan reported.
The recall vote against Hsinchu Mayor Ann Kao also failed to pass.
Earlier in the morning, polls opened at 8 am local time (0000GMT), with long lines reported at stations across the island, and closed at 4 pm local time (0800GMT).
Observers see the vote as a push by the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to shift power in the legislature.
The lawmakers under recall mostly represent constituencies in northern Taiwan, where the KMT holds significant support.
Among those facing votes are high-profile KMT figures from Taipei and New Taipei, including Hung Meng-kai, who secured the highest vote count in the 2024 legislative election. Suspended Mayor Ann Kao, formerly of the TPP, is also being challenged following her conviction in a corruption case.
DPP has denied orchestrating the recall drives, though party leader and regional leader William Lai Ching-te has publicly supported efforts to unseat opposition lawmakers.
A second round of recall votes is scheduled for Aug. 23, as the DPP eyes potential by-elections to regain a legislative majority.
The vote is being closely watched as the DPP lost its majority in the regional legislature last year, and the Lai administration has faced continued setbacks in implementing its policies.
‘Failure’ for Taiwan’s William Lai as all 24 opposition KMT lawmakers survive mass recall vote
Voters in Taiwan on Saturday resoundingly rejected a mass recall campaign targeting opposition lawmakers. All 24 lawmakers from the Beijing-friendly KMT who faced recall votes survived. Backfiring of the DPP’s high octane campaign, which was championed as a way to root out ‘pro-China forces’
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All 24 lawmakers from the Beijing-friendly KMT who faced recall votes survived, in what analysts described as a serious political miscalculation by the DPP and its affiliated civil society groups.
The backfiring of the DPP’s high octane campaign, which was championed as a way to root out “pro-China forces” and safeguard Taiwan’s democracy, exposes growing public fatigue with “anti-China” rhetoric as a blanket strategy.
Beijing, which regards Taiwan as a part of China to be reunited by force if necessary, has intensified military pressure on the island since Lai took office in May last year and provoked Beijing with what it calls “separatist” and pro-independence remarks.
01:40 Tens of thousands rally in Taiwan against William Lai as recall turmoil engulfs legislature Tens of thousands rally in Taiwan against William Lai as recall turmoil engulfs legislature
The United States, like most countries, does not recognise self-governed Taiwan as independent. However, it is opposed to any unilateral change to the status quo and is committed to supplying Taiwan with weapons for defence.
Taiwanese voters reject attempt to recall opposition lawmakers
Taiwanese voters reject an attempt to oust 24 opposition lawmakers. Official tally shows none of the recalls had succeeded. President Lai Ching-te’s party had hoped to take control of parliament. KMT controls parliament with the help of the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) KMT and TPP have joined forces to stymie Lai’s agenda, and slashed or frozen parts of the government’s budget. But the DPP needed a minimum of 12 KMT lawmakers recalled to gain temporary control of the parliament. The KMT chairman Eric Chu said: “Let this political farce end here”
Civic groups backed by Lai’s Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) had sought to unseat 24 lawmakers belonging to the main opposition Kuomintang party, who they accuse of being in cahoots with China.
The KMT, which advocates closer ties with Beijing, controls parliament with the help of the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) and has slammed the unprecedented recall effort as a DPP power grab.
A few hours after polling stations closed across Taiwan, the Central Election Commission’s official vote count showed none of the recalls had succeeded.
Recall elections for another seven KMT lawmakers will be held on August 23.
But the DPP needed a minimum of 12 KMT lawmakers recalled to gain temporary control of the parliament.
“Let this political farce end here,” KMT chairman Eric Chu told reporters.
“No one can lose an election and then engage in a vicious recall,” he said, calling on Lai to “sincerely apologise” and “stop thinking about political infighting”.
DPP Secretary-General Lin Yu-chang said the party “humbly” accepts the results.
Insisting the election could not be “reduced to victory or defeat between political parties”, Lin said the DPP would “reflect more prudently on the society’s response”.
Public opinion has been split over the recalls, a legal process that allows voters to oust elected officials before the end of their term.
The campaign targeting KMT lawmakers has dominated politics, newspaper headlines and social media feeds for months.
A KMT bid to recall DPP lawmakers failed to meet the legal threshold.
“It really is a sign that the people who elected these officials in 2024 do in fact feel comfortable with their choice,” said Lev Nachman, a political science professor at National Taiwan University.
“The KMT are going to feel very empowered after today.”
– Brawls and protests –
Both major parties held rallies in recent days to urge supporters to take part in the election, which had the potential to upend the balance of power in parliament and fuel tensions with China.
Lai, a staunch defender of Taiwan’s sovereignty and detested by Beijing, won the presidential election in 2024, but his DPP party lost its majority in the legislature.
Since then, the KMT and TPP have joined forces to stymie Lai’s agenda, and slashed or frozen parts of the government’s budget.
Taiwan move to recall opposition lawmakers fails
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 government said the island’s largest-ever recall vote had faced “unprecedented” election interference by China. 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 groups seeking the recalls have said theirs is an “anti-communist” movement, accusing the KMT of selling out Taiwan by sending lawmakers to China and not supporting defence spending. The KMT rejects the accusations, denouncing Lai’s “dictatorship” and “green terror” – referring to the DPP’s party colour. The heated recall campaign has been closely watched by China, whose Taiwan Affairs Office and state media have repeatedly commented on the vote.
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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