TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Legislative Yuan's Internal Administration Committee will convene on Wednesday (Nov. 20) to discuss controversial amendments to the Public Officials Election and Recall Act.

The key amendment adds a provision stating that recall elections can only succeed if the "yes" votes exceed the number of votes the recalled candidate received in the last election. Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislative caucus secretary-general Wu Szu-yao (吳思瑤) criticized the proposal on Monday, calling it the "highest bar in history" for recall elections, per CNA.

Wu questioned why the Kuomintang (KMT) is prioritizing the amendment over discussions on the central government’s upcoming budget. She argued that the amendment is unconstitutional because it would deny citizens the right to recall elected officials by making the process too difficult.

DPP Legislator Hung Sun-han (洪申翰) suggested the changes reflect a fear among the KMT and the Taiwan People’s Party that they might be recalled, per CNA. Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) also expressed concern on Tuesday, warning that altering the public’s power to recall elected officials could undermine citizens' ability to exercise their rights, contradicting the constitutional principle of popular sovereignty, per SETN.

KMT caucus leader Lin Szu-ming (林思銘) acknowledged Monday that recall is a constitutional right but cautioned that the process must be handled carefully. Lin argued that the current threshold for recall elections is too low, allowing a small minority to override the will of the majority.

Citing a recent poll, Lin claimed that 56.6% of the public opposed the existing recall rules, suggesting that his proposed changes align with public sentiment.