TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Five KMT members submitted a recall campaign targeting DPP Legislator Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶) to the Central Election Commission on Wednesday, marking the first formal retaliation in an escalating partisan battle.
Campaign leader Liu Ssu-yin (劉思吟) told reporters the group submitted 2,678 signatures to the commission backing Wu's recall and would gather more, per CNA. Liu said the group also gathered enough signatures to initiate a recall campaign against DPP Legislator Wu Szu-yao (吳思瑤), which is expected to be submitted to the commission this week.
Liu claimed Wu’s Zhongzheng and Wanhua constituents supported the campaign because they either had not heard of her or did not know she represented them. “This recall action is not only a reflection of the inaction of individual politicians but also a call to enhance public opinion and level of responsibility in public service,” she wrote in a Facebook post.
Campaigners against the two Wus said last week that the legislators were chosen for recall because they had neglected their duties. They said the pair had submitted less than the average number of bills and questions during legislative sessions.
Wu Szu-yao responded to the recall campaigns by saying they were orchestrated by KMT members who put party above the public interest, per CTI. Wu said that she and Wu Pei-yi are professional politicians who regularly hold press conferences to explain policies to the public, and are confident in their ability to serve the country.
The submissions come after civic groups backed by the DPP and others submitted recall campaigns targeting 20 KMT and TPP elected officials on Monday. This marked the start of what DPP Caucus Leader Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) has called a “super A class, A action” to remove opposition lawmakers.
Campaigners against the opposition say KMT and TPP legislators should be recalled for passing what they say are unconstitutional legal amendments. The movement gained momentum after opposition legislators used their majority to pass wide-ranging budget cuts in January.
In addition to the 21 recall campaigns submitted to the Central Election Commission, TVBS reported on Tuesday that others were collecting signatures in Taipei, New Taipei, Hsinchu, Miaoli, Taichung, Changhua, Kaohsiung, and Kinmen. Of them, 15 KMT legislators, four DPP legislators, and one independent legislator are targeted.
Five campaigns had reportedly received enough signatures for the Central Election Commission to progress them to the first step. To begin the first of three steps to recall, campaigners must collect signatures from 1% of the voters in a legislator’s constituency.
If this threshold is passed, 10% of voters must sign in support of the recall for it to go to a vote. To recall a legislator, at least 25% of constituents must cast a vote, and the majority of them must vote in favor.
