TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The opposition’s bid to impeach President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) failed to pass the legislature Tuesday.
The motion came amid a quorum dispute that has limited the Constitutional Court’s ability to function. Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) had refused to countersign a passed revenue allocation measure, prompting the opposition to launch the impeachment bid against Lai.
The opposition’s motion received 56 yes and 50 no votes, falling short of the required 76 yes votes, per Liberty Times. During the vote, lawmakers from all parties deliberately showed their ballots to cameras documenting the process, per SETN.
Under constitutional procedures, even if the motion had succeeded, the Constitutional Court would have had the final say. Two-thirds of sitting justices would have needed to approve the motion for the impeachment to take effect.
Before the vote, each party declared its approach and reasoning. DPP Legislative Caucus Secretary-General Chuang Jui-hsiung (莊瑞雄) said the party had been consistent in its stance, per SETN. He argued that while the DPP boycotted the procedure over what it viewed as political maneuvering, the party would still vote against impeachment.
The DPP claimed the impeachment was a waste of public attention and accused the KMT and TPP of stymieing social progress, per Newtalk.
KMT Legislative Caucus Secretary-General Lin Pei-hsiang (林沛祥) acknowledged the impeachment was unlikely to pass but said the party needed to record what it viewed as bad governance in the annals of history, per NOWNews. KMT Legislative Caucus Convener Fu Kun-chi (傅崐萁) echoed the sentiment, calling the yes-no ratio a referendum on Lai’s rule.
TPP members focused their criticism of Lai on his “Four Pillars of Peace,” per China Times. The party suggested the government had failed to provide plans to increase benefits for military personnel, make progress in trade talks, improve ties with democratic states, and push for cross-strait dialogue.
Cho also commented on the bid, arguing that the poor legislative quality of the opposition-controlled legislature had forced the government to seek legal remedies multiple times, per Tai Sounds. He called on the legislature to push for reconciliation if the bid failed.
