TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) told a Democratic Progressive Party congress Saturday that the party needed to stand together with the recall campaigners, responding to a threat to the country.

On July 26, voters will have a chance to pass a verdict in recall votes targeting 24 Kuomintang lawmakers and the suspended mayor of Hsinchu City. 

Lai said the recall action was the result of the opposition blocking and boycotting the defense budget and changes to the National Security Act, the Liberty Times reported.

The public feels that opposition actions posed a threat to national security, so they decided to launch recall petitions, he said. The DPP needs to stand together with the public and share responsibility for protecting the nation, he added.

The DPP congress took place in Taipei on Saturday afternoon under the theme “Better Democracy, Better Taiwan.” Lai said that the country would not have become such a lively democracy without the strength of civil society.

The president, who also chairs the ruling party, noted how the global community had been paying more attention to Taiwan and the threat posed by China. World leaders emphasized the importance of peace in the Taiwan Strait and opposed unilateral changes to the status quo, Lai said.