TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators occupied a meeting room in the legislature on Thursday (July 4), blocking a preliminary review of draft amendments that would increase Taiwan’s recall threshold if passed into law.
The amendments were proposed by the opposition Kuomintang (KMT), and were scheduled to be reviewed on Thursday morning, per CNA. A group of DPP legislators occupied the podium in the meeting room where the review was set to happen, shouting slogans and carrying placards in protest.
The disruption was planned earlier that morning by members of the DPP caucus who sent out a “call to action” ahead of time. Convener of the legislature’s internal affairs committee and independent Legislator Ciwas Ali (高金素梅) announced the beginning of the meeting amid the commotion, but it was suspended shortly after 9.30 a.m.
During the protest, DPP Legislator Wang Mei-hui (王美惠) and her KMT counterpart Hsu Chiao-hsin (徐巧芯) engaged in a shoving match while screaming at one another. Wang’s watch strap was reportedly broken, and buttons were torn off her shirt in the altercation.
The threshold for electoral recall of public officials in Taiwan was lowered to its current 25% in 2016, though to initiate a public proposal for a recall requires only 1% of voters to register support. The draft amendments also seek to increase the 1% proposal threshold.
Members of the DPP and KMT have accused each other of using the recall law for their own political advantage. The minor Taiwan People’s Party, whose votes could give either of the larger parties a majority in the legislature, said it does not support an increase to the recall threshold but does support changes to the level of support needed to initiate a recall campaign.
