TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The formal petitioning process for the recalls of Democratic Progressive Party Legislators Wu Szu-yao (吳思瑤) and Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶) began Saturday.

Organizers said Monday that enough intention letters were collected to start the recall petitions for both legislators. They have collected 3,139 intention letters for Wu Szu-yao and 2,616 for Wu Pei-yi, surpassing the required thresholds, per Yahoo News.

The recalls are part of a broader political wave that has swept Taiwan in recent months. The movement gained traction in December after lawmakers from the KMT and TPP approved a central government budget that slashed NT$207.5 billion (US$6.29 billion) from the Cabinet’s original proposal.

In response, DPP Legislative Caucus Leader Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) spearheaded a recall initiative targeting 41 KMT legislators. Meanwhile, KMT supporters launched counter-recall efforts against four DPP lawmakers in districts where the KMT has stronger voter support.

It was revealed Thursday that the petitions for the recall of KMT Legislator Cheng Cheng-chien (鄭正鈐) and suspended Hsinchu Mayor Kao Hung-an (高虹安) have surpassed 70,000 signatures. The petitions have exceeded both the first- and second-phase signature thresholds, collecting double the required amount.

Organizers for Wu Szu-yao and Wu Pei-yi's recalls said the next focus will be on converting intention letters into petition forms. In addition to fixed petition stations, efforts will continue to reach out to markets, temples, and other areas for the widespread collection of petition forms.

Reasons for recall

Taiwan Youth Citizen Association Chair Chen Guan-an (陳冠安), one of the organizers of the recalls, criticized Wu Szu-yao and Wu Pei-yi for neglecting their duties in the legislature. He noted that questioning and proposing bills are core legislative functions, but both have performed below average over the past two terms, UDN reported.

Wu Pei-yi asked 50 questions and proposed 34 bills, while Wu Szu-yao had 37 questions and 30 proposals, both far below the average. Chen argued that these figures demonstrated a lack of engagement in their legislative roles.

Chen also pointed out that while the DPP has called for the recall of five KMT legislators in Taipei, these KMT lawmakers have each proposed over 100 bills and asked more than 100 questions. In contrast, the three DPP legislators in Taipei have only reached 30-40% of those numbers.

He suggested that rather than targeting opposition legislators who are actively engaged in legislative duties, it would make more sense to first recall DPP legislators who have performed poorly and neglected their questioning responsibilities.

Another organizer, Lai Yi-ren (賴苡任), shared that a Shilin resident at a recent petition booth expressed their support for Wu Szu-yao's recall, citing her party-line stance on US pork imports and deeming her unfit for office. Lai emphasized that if Wu Szu-yao is unfit, someone more capable will rise to serve the country.

Lai emphasized the recall is not about electioneering or manipulating public opinion.

Taiwan's recall petitions

• Initiating a recall petition

To start the recall of an elected official, the first step is to get proposals from people in the district where the official was elected. The number of proposals needed must be at least 1% of the total voters in that area.

For example, in the recall attempt last year of Keelung Mayor Hsieh Kuo-liang (謝國樑), there were 307,913 voters in Keelung during the 2022 local elections. To start the recall at least 3,080 Keelung voters needed to propose it.

• Votes needed after a recall petition is approved

After a recall proposal is approved, the process moves to the voting stage. According to Article 90 of the current “Public Officials Election and Recall Act,” a recall vote is successful if:

1. The number of valid “yes” votes exceeds the number of “no” votes.
2. The “yes” votes must also be at least one-quarter of the total number of voters in the original election district.

• Consequences and restrictions following a successful recall

If a recall is successful, the official being recalled must cease their duties starting from the day the recall results are announced. The official cannot run for the same job in the same area for the next four years, with the same rule applied if the official resigns during the recall process.

If the official’s position is empty after the recall, an election must be held within three months. If the recall is challenged in court, the election will be delayed until the legal case is over.

To avoid recall misuse, if a recall fails, no one can propose a recall for the same official during their current term.

When and where?

The recall campaign for Wu Szu-yao will be held at several locations across Taipei. Fixed petition stations will be set up at the intersection of Yumin 3rd Road and Shihpai Road Section 2, operating from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Mobile petition stations are planned for Ziqiang Market and Shidong Market, with operating hours from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. These hours may be adjusted depending on weather conditions.

For Wu Pei-yi’s recall, petition stations will be spread out across multiple sites. These include Guoguang Market, Shuanghe Market, the City God Temple of Taipei City, and Longshan Temple.

The Guoguang Market petition station will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m., while Shuanghe Market will be open from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. Petition activities at the City God Temple and Longshan Temple will run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., to encourage greater public participation.