TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Campaigners in Hualien collecting signatures to recall the convener of the KMT caucus at the Legislative Yuan, Fu Kun-chi (傅崐萁), have reportedly met the threshold for the second stage.
Activists supporting the recall of Fu, the at-large representative of Hualien County, stood in a line outside the Hualien County Election Commission office on Friday morning, forming a human chain to deliver the signed petition documents. The campaign collected 32,777 signatures, well beyond the necessary 19,000 required to trigger a recall election, reported UDN.
Once the signatures are validated, a recall election must take place within 60 days. In the recall election, if the “yes” votes equal at least one-quarter of the total Hualien electorate and outnumber the “no” votes, Fu will be removed from office.
When campaign leader Li Mei-ling (李美玲) carried the last box of petition signatures to the steps of the election commission office, she was met with cheers by her colleagues. Campaigners said that they were set on recalling Fu, not just for Hualien, but for all of Taiwan, per UDN.
Campaigners claim Fu represents a danger to Taiwan’s sovereignty, citing his meetings with senior Chinese leaders. They also accuse him of acting against the public interest to enrich himself and his associates.
The KMT party in Hualien responded to Friday’s news by downplaying the public support for a recall and pledging to support Fu.
Fu has represented Hualien at the Legislative Yuan since 2020, when he defeated Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴), who now serves as the vice president. Before his work at the Legislative Yuan, Fu served as Hualien County magistrate from 2009 to 2018.
After winning reelection as a legislator in 2024, Fu became convener for the KMT caucus, which currently controls the legislature. Fu has been convicted of illegal stock market practices and accused of corruption in multiple legal cases throughout his political career.
