TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — As Taiwan prepares for the first major day of legislative recall votes on Saturday, both the anti-recall and pro-recall camps held massive rallies in Taipei on Friday. 

The DPP organized a rally outside of the Legislative Yuan, gathering supporters to hold a “vigil for democracy,” reported CNA. Meanwhile, just several blocks away the KMT and TPP gathered a large crowd in front of the Presidential Office on Ketagalan Boulevard.

On Saturday, 24 legislative constituencies will go to the polls to determine the fate of sitting legislators. The DPP initiated the mass recall campaign earlier this year to overcome deadlock in the legislature, which is controlled by the KMT and TPP coalition. 

At the DPP’s rally outside the legislature, enthusiastic supporters chanted together and waved flags with the slogan “Great Recall, Great Success.” Speakers discussed controversial legislative actions taken by the opposition which have hamstrung the Constitutional Court and stalled policy proposals.  

Nearby, the blue and white camp led supporters with chants such as, “Rain or shine, we will defend democracy.” Numerous KMT and TPP officials urged the public to go to the polls and vote “no” on the recall measures in order to teach the Lai administration a lesson, reported CNA. 

Despite the rain, the energy was high among both camps on Friday night as the country waits to see how the mass recall campaign may change Taiwan’s political landscape. While the majority of the recall votes will be held on Saturday, an additional day of recall voting is scheduled for Aug. 23 for seven more KMT lawmakers. 

In order to shift the balance of power in the Legislative Yuan, the DPP must recall six KMT legislators and then win the subsequent by-elections.