TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The opposition benefited from its majority at the Legislative Yuan Friday to defeat the Cabinet’s attempt to override controversial amendments to the Constitutional Court Procedure Act approved last month.

The opposition needed at least 57 out of 113 legislators to stop the government. In the vote Friday, 62 lawmakers voted against the government, with the 51 DPP legislators voting in favor, per CNA.

The timing of the vote for Friday afternoon was only decided in the morning, when the main opposition Kuomintang changed the agenda for the day’s legislative work. The party argued that going ahead with the vote would leave more time for lawmakers to review the central government budget for this year.

The Constitutional Court amendments passed by the opposition in December came under fire because they restricted the occasions for members of the public to demand rulings on the constitutionality of key issues. The amendments also changed the number of court judges to be present to rule on the issues.

At least nine out of the court’s 15 judges had to agree on a decision that a law was unconstitutional, according to the changes passed by the KMT and the Taiwan People’s Party. The court currently only counts eight members, as the Legislative Yuan last month rejected seven nominees for vacant seats on the court named by the president.

Critics said the amendments limited the basic rights of the public, as they were responsible for 99% of the requests for rulings by the Constitutional Court. The opposition-backed changes were a move away from democracy and the protection of individuals against unfair laws, the critics said.