Showing posts with label #DPP. Show all posts
Showing posts with label #DPP. Show all posts

Taiwan's Great Recall - July 26th Results

On July 26th, nearly one-third of Taiwan’s electorate were eligible to vote in the first wave of what’s being called Taiwan's Great Recall (大罷免) — a rarely used mechanism allowing voters to dismiss nationally elected lawmakers midterm. This marks the first time the process has been deployed on such a large scale with 24 lawmakers from the Kuomintang (KMT) or Chinese Nationalist Party on the ballot.

The vote result is being closely watched as it has the potential to alter the balance of power in Taiwan’s parliament, which has seen months of political deadlock between the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government and the opposition KMT and their allies.

In this episode we dive into the outcome of that vote. We break down the results, highlight the key takeaways, discuss the reactions and review how these results are likely to shape the remaining term of Taiwan’s current administration.


Date of Recording: July 26th, 2025




The title Taiwan's Great Recall - July 26th Results sits in front of a backdrop of a picture of protesters and campaigners gathered on a street in Taiwan late in the evening as they all pay attention to a speaker on a stage in the distance.




DIVE DEEPER:


Additional information on the topics covered in this episode:


YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:

Other episodes in Taiwan's Great Recall series:


#Taiwan, #GreatRecall, #KMTRecall, #DPP, #ChinaInfluence, #Taiwanelection, #RecallVote2025, #TaiwanDemocracy, #PoliticalPodcast, #Geopolitics, #ProDemocracy, #DemocracyInAsia, #TaiwanVotes, #CivicEngagement, #GreatRecall2025, #ProtectDemocracy, #大罷免

Taiwan's Great Recall - Ep4 - Interview with Wang Hung-wei Recall Group

Welcome to the fourth installment in our series on Taiwan’s Great Recall in which we aim to bring you perspectives from all sides of the debate at this important juncture in Taiwan’s democratic journey. 


As we explained in previous episodes, this unprecedented KMT 中國國民黨 recall stems from a public backlash against months of legislative gridlock, budgetary obstruction, and interference with Taiwan’s highest court—including accusations of collusion with the Chinese Communist Party.  


While the recall effort is mostly organized by civil society organizations, the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) 民主進步黨 has recently begun to engage more visibly as the first voting day approaches. Taiwan’s President and DPP leader Lai Ching-te 賴清德 has also been conducting a series of 10 speeches at various civic centers around Taiwan which media reports indicate is a likely effort to boost DPP turnout in the voting.


Clearly, if enough KMT lawmakers are unseated and the DPP can reclaim their seats in the follow-on election, it would dramatically shift the balance of power in Taiwan’s parliament.


One of the KMT candidates on the recall ballot for July 26th is Wang Hung-wei 王鴻薇.  She is the deputy secretary general of the KMT legislative caucus and was last elected to the single seater District 3 in Taipei in 2024 with over 52% of the vote. Prior to becoming a national politician she was a Taipei City councillor and before that worked in Journalism.


While Wang Hung-wei is no stranger to controversy, people we spoke to say they are most concerned about her close ties to China. They cite her visit to Beijing in 2024 with KMT caucus whip Fu Kun-Chi 傅崐萁 and their meeting with top CCP politburo official Wang Huning 王滬寧 - a meeting for which they were not able to obtain any readout. 

The reason many constituents worry about such meetings is because Wang Huning is credited with being the CCP’s  leading ideologist since the 1980s and is also the leader of the organization tasked with what the CCP call the  “peaceful reunification of Taiwan". 


At the end of June, I went along to a neighborhood gathering at a small cafe in the Songshan district of Taipei. It was organized by the Wang Hung-wei recall group (Insta @wanghongwei2025gg). 


I was interested to find out more about the group, 

  • hear about the concerns that were causing them to recall Wang Hong Wei and 

  • get their reactions to the questions and accusations from the anti-recall camp, and lots more!


 Date of Recording: June 27th, 2025.



KMT Lawmaker Wang Hung-wei gives a speech with her fist held high in the air while being flanked by two KMT supporters. Listen to our podcast at www.pwneilo.com or by searching for Perspectives with Neilo wherever you get your podcasts.
KMT lawmaker Wang Hung-wei 王鴻薇 who is up for recall vote on July 26th gives a speech during an anti-recall rally.


DIVE DEEPER:

Additional information on the topics covered in this episode:

  • 2025 Taiwanese recall votes - wiki


YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:

Other episodes in Taiwan's Great Recall series:


#TaiwanPolitics, #TaiwanRecall, #DemocracyinAction, #KMTRecall, #TaiwanElections, #RecallVote2025, #CivicEngagement, #TaiwanDemocracy, #PerspectiveswithNeilo, #politicalPodcast, #TaiwanPodcasts, #GrassRootsMovement, #ProDemocracy, #ElectoralReform, #CivilSocietyVoices, #StopCCPInfluence, #TaiwanVotes, #peoplePower, #July26Recall








Taiwan's Great Recall - Ep3 - Interview with Chance Hsu, KMT

Welcome to the third installment in our series on Taiwan's Great Recall (大罷免) in which we aim to bring you perspectives from all sides of the debate at this important moment in Taiwan's democratic journey.

As the days count down to July 26th, campaigning by both the pro and anti recall groups in Taiwan is gaining momentum. These recall campaigns are a result of a power struggle between different branches of Taiwan's government - the Legislative Yuan which is controlled by the Chinese Nationalist Party or KMT (中國國民黨) with their smaller ally, the Taiwan People's Party (TPP), and, the Executive Yuan which is controlled by the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) (民主進步黨).

In the last election back in January of 2024, the KMT won 52 seats in the Legislative Yuan and combined with the 8 seats of the smaller Taiwan People's Party as well as two independents, they command a clear majority over the DPP who currently hold 51 seats.

The KMT and the TPP have, according to critics, used this majority to assert and boost legislative power, and have sought to bock the ruling party's agenda, freeze or cut budgets, undermine Taiwan's constitutional order and weaken efforts to bolster defense capabilities against growing Chinese military threats.

Civil society recall groups also express concerns with KMT lawmakers' frequent visits to China and meetings with senior officials in the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) while the parliament was in session. They accuse the KMT of collision with the CCP with some like UMC founder and chip tycoon, Robert Tsao going so far as to say that "Beijing wants to use the KMT to annex Taiwan" and calling the KMT "China's Trojan Horse" - that's according to a report by new outlet Nikkei Asia (see link below).

In this third episode in our series on Taiwan's Great Recall, we speak with Chance Hsu (須予謙) who is the Assistant Director of International Affairs for the KMT. We sat down with him in Taipei in early July to hear the party's official response to these recalls and understand why the KMT think they are politically motivated. We also wanted to hear the KMT's response to the concerns raised by civic groups, talk about their controversial budget cuts and discuss the party's connections with China.

Date of Recording: July 1st, 2025.

Post Interview Update: Taiwan's Central Election Commission announced on July 2nd that recalls for two more KMT lawmakers will take place on August 23rd. This brings the total to 26 KMT lawmakers now facing potential removal.




KMT Chairman is shown on a stage at Rongxing Garden in Taipei. He is flanked by two party colleagues and behind him is a large slogan urging supporters to vote NO in the upcoming recall.
KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) addresses the crowd at an anti-recall rally in Rongxing Garden (榮星花園) in Taipei on June 22nd, 2025.



DIVE DEEPER:

Additional information on the topics covered in this episode:




#TaiwanPolitics, #TaiwanGreatRecall, #DemocracyInAsia, #KMTvsDPP, #CivicActivism, #Taiwan2025, #PerspectivesWithNeilo, #PwNeiloPodcast, #TaiwanNews, #RecallMovement, #TaiwanCivicGroups, #Geopolitics, #大罷免, #TaiwanRecall, #KMTRecall, #TaiwanDemocracy, #TaiwanLegislativeYuan, #TaiwanPodcast, #July26Recall, #KMTChinaTies

Taiwan's Great Recall - Ep2 - Interview with Jinan Church Civic Group

Welcome to the second installment in our series on Taiwan's Great Recall (大罷免) in which we aim to bring you perspectives from all sides of the debate at this important moment in Taiwan's democratic journey.

As we explained in our first episode, since the last election in January 2024, Taiwan's parliament or Legislative Yuan has been controlled by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) (中國國民黨) and their smaller ally, the Taiwan People's Party who according to opponents have sought to block the ruling party's agenda, freeze or cut budgets, undermine Taiwan's constitutional order and weaken efforts to bolster defense capabilities against growing Chinese military threats.

The KMT insist that they are seeking to strengthen and protect Taiwan's democracy and say these recalls are politically motivated. They accuse the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) (民主進步黨) of instigating the recall campaign, of mobilizing civic groups and attempting to use recalls to eliminate the opposition.

On a Friday afternoon in early June, I met up with members of Public Collaborative Tactics (Instagram: @pctbababa), a grassroots pro-recall group based at Jinan Presbyterian Church (濟南教會), just steps away from the Legislative Yuan in Taipei.

I was really interested to find out how the group came together and what motivates their cause. I also wanted to hear their thoughts on the Chinese Nationalist Party or KMT and if they had particular concerns about the party's behavior. I also asked if they had connections with any political parties and how they were funded. But to begin, the group introduced themselves and then told me how they all came together.

Date of Recording: June 13th, 2025.




The picture shows the entrance of Jinan Presbyterian Church in Taipei. Also included in the picture is a banner announcing Taiwan's Great Recall on July 26th (7/26) and a logo of the PCT Group.
Jinan Presbyterian Church in Zhongzheng District, Taipei



DIVE DEEPER:

Additional information on the topics covered in this episode:

  • Jinan Presbyterian Church - website
  • Citizen Congress Watch report (December 2024)

#TaiwanPolitics, #TaiwanGreatRecall, #DemocracyInAsia, #KMTvsDPP, #CivicActivism, #Taiwan2024, #PerspectivesWithNeilo, #PwNeiloPodcast, #TaiwanNews, #RecallMovement, #TaiwanCivicGroups, #JinanChurch, #Geopolitics, #大罷免 #PublicCollaborativeTactics

    Sovereignty and Stalemate - President Lai’s First Year

     These are challenging times for many world leaders and no less so for the democratically elected leader of Taiwan, Lai Ching-te (賴清德). Lai Ching-te or William Lai was inaugurated as the President of Taiwan on May 20th, 2024. He succeeded Tsai Ing-wen and his election to the presidential office marks the first time for his party, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) (民主進步黨) to hold this office for three consecutive terms.

    While the DPP won the presidential vote, they failed to maintain a majority in the Legislative Yuan or Parliament. As a result, the parliament has been controlled by the Chinese Nationalist Party (中國國民黨) or Kuomintang (KMT) and their smaller ally the Taiwan People's Party (TPP) (台灣民眾黨) who have sought to block Lai's agenda, freeze or cut budgets including defense programs and interfere with operations of the country's top court.

    While the KMT insist that they are seeking to strengthen and protect Taiwan's democracy, the general public would not appear to agree and a mass recall effort is well underway which could unseat up to 20 KMT lawmakers and change the balance of power for Lai's administration. This is a topic we will deal with in more detail in upcoming episodes.

    In the area of cross strait relations, President Lai has adopted a stronger rhetoric that characterizes Taiwan as a de facto sovereign state, and has moved away from the more cautious tone of his predecessor. In a speech on March 13th, 2025, President Lai publicly characterized China as a "foreign hostile force" trying to "annex Taiwan and stamp out the Republic of China", a phrasing unprecedented for a Taiwanese president.

    In response, Beijing has repeatedly described Lai as a dangerous "separatist" and increased military drills and grey-zone operations around Taiwan, including conducting large-scale "blockade-style military exercises" in response to his major speeches.

    In this episode, I chat with William Yang (X: @WilliamYang120), Senior Northeast Asia Analyst at the International Crisis Group - an independent, non-profit NGO dedicated to preventing and resolving deadly conflict. We dive into William's recent article on President Lai's first year in office and examine how his administration has responded to mounting pressure from China. We also look at Taiwan public opinion and the challenges President Lai faces in navigating political tensions with the opposition KMT and TPP.


    Date of Recording: June 5th, 2025.





    Taiwan's President WilliamLai is seated at his desk in front of a backdrop that contains the RoC flag and the DPP flag
    President of Taiwan, Lai Ching-te (賴清德)


    DIVE DEEPER:

    Additional information on the topics covered in this episode:



    #Taiwan #TaiwanPolitics #TaiwanNews #Democracy #AsianPolitics #Geopolitics #WorldPolitics #InternationalRelations #LaiChingTe #WilliamLai #TaiwanPresident #TaiwanLeadership #DemocraticProgressiveParty #DPP #TaiwanSovereignty #CrossStraitRelations #ChinaTaiwan #TaiwanChinaTensions #TaiwanSovereignty #BeijingPressure #ChinaMilitaryDrills #Kuomintang #KMT #TaiwanPeoplesParty #TaiwanPolitics2025 #TaiwanLegislature #PoliticalGridlock #TaiwanDemocracy #TaiwanRecall #TaiwanElections #TaiwanProtests #DemocracyInAction #TaiwanPublicOpinion#PodcastEpisode #PoliticalPodcast #AsiaPodcast #CurrentAffairsPodcast #InternationalCrisisGroup


    Taiwan in NorCal



    Date of Recording: November 4th, 2024.

    Earlier in May and June of 2024, we reported from Taipei on the massive street protests which became known as the Bluebird Movement. These protests were the largest Taiwan had seen in the decade since the 2014 Sunflower Movement.

    The protests voiced the public's concern with the new amendments to the law governing the Legislative Yuan's (Taiwan's parliament) power and in particular, new investigative powers including the power to subject public officials to fines or jail time if they refused to attend hearings or provide information when asked to do so by legislators.

    Many feared that these new powers would allow private individuals, government officials, corporate executives, military staff and others to be targeted and persecuted by the Kuomingtang (KMT) and their smaller ally, the Taiwan People's Party (TPP) under the auspices of legislative questioning.

    The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) subsequently took a case to Taiwan's Constitutional Court contesting these new legislative powers and in late October, the Court struck down most of the expanded powers sought by the KMT.

    In this episode of Perspectives with Neilo, we report from a November 4th gathering of the Taiwanese American Federation of Northern California (TAFNC) where we spoke to a number of the attendees as well as to the special guest Wang Yi-chuan (王義川) of the DPP about the recent political events in Taiwan as well as how the outcome of the US presidential election may affect US-Taiwan relations moving forward.

    [Special thanks to Cooper Wong for translation during Director Wang's interview, to Leona Chen for organizing the interviews and everyone who helped make this episode possible.]

    Since recording the interviews, Donald Trump has secured a second term as U.S. President and has already begun making announcements on cabinet positions.

    In addition, Taiwan news media are reporting that consensus has been reached between political parties on the national budget for 2025, but as many of them also point out, this is unlikely to mark an end of contention between the KMT and DPP moving forward.


    Picture shows DPP Policy Chair, Wang Yi-chuan giving his speech at the Taiwanese American Federation of Northern California on November 4th, 2024
    Wang Yi-chuan (王義川) gives a speech at the Taiwanese American Federation of Northern California on November 4th, 2024

    DIVE DEEPER:

    Additional information on the topics covered in this episode:


    #Taiwan, #DPP, #KMT, #TPP, #CCP, #JointSword, #PLA, #Incursions


    Invisible Nation - Interview with Vanessa Hope

    In this episode we talk with award-winning filmmaker Vanessa Hope who shines an urgent spotlight on Taiwan as it fights for autonomy and freedom from fear in the gripping new documentary, Invisible Nation.

     It tells the story of how Taiwan's first female president, Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) delicately balanced on the tightrope between the hopes and fears of her nation and the colossal geopolitical forces of the US and China. The movie interweaves highlights from her time in office with Taiwan's history and struggle to preserve its hard won democracy.

    Invisible Nation premiered in Ireland at the 36th Galway Film Fleadh in July and we went along to see the movie and talk with Director Vanessa Hope.

    Date of Recording: July 12th, 2024.




    Tsai Ing-wen, President of Taiwan from 2016 to 2024 leads her cabinet during an official event in Taipei
    Tsai Ing-wen, President of the Republic of China (Taiwan) from 2016 to 2024, leads her cabinet during an official event in Taipei.


    DIVE DEEPER:

    Additional information on the topics covered in this episode:

    • Invisible Nation - website, Trailer (Trailer soundtrack used in this podcast episode courtesy of Invisible Nation)


    #Taiwan, #InvisibleNationFilm, #China, #TsaiIngWen, #DPP, #TaiwanisaCountry, #GalwayFilmFleadh

    The Double Veto - Interview with Professor Chen Fang-Yu

     Previously in May, we reported on the large pro-democracy street protests in Taipei, Taiwan, in opposition to new legislative reform bills being hastily pushed through the Legislative Yuan or parliament by the China-friendly Kuomintang Party or KMT and their smaller ally, the Taiwan People's Party or TPP.

    We'd highly recommend going back and listening to our earlier episodes  - Taiwan Stands up for Democracy and Parliamentary Pandemonium and Public Protests - if you are interested in this topic.

    The KMT-TPP combined majority was enough to carry the bills through parliament in May. The amendments aim to give lawmakers powers to subpoena private individuals and government officials, including the President, which could force them to hand over sensitive documents to lawmakers. The KMT and TPP say this is for better government oversight and to help combat corruption.

    It also introduces a "contempt of legislature" clause which can impose fines and even prison for officials who disrespect the parliament. The latter has been heavily criticized by legal scholars who say it goes far beyond what is normal in other democratic countries.

    After passing through the Legislature in May, the bills appeared before the Executive Yuan in the next step of the process.  The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) of President Lai Ching-te opposed the legislation in the parliament. And so it was no surprise when the Executive Yuan with the approval of President Lai requested the Legislature to reconsider these amendments on the week of June 17th - effectively vetoing the legislation and arguing that it would be difficult to implement because it violated various Constitutional Interpretations around the Legislature's scope of power.

    It also appears that the KMT and TPP opposition parties have put forward additional items which are under review at this time, namely, Control of Party Assets, Restoration of a pro-China TV station and a number of major transportation infrastructure projects.

    On Perspectives with Neilo, our goal is to present a balanced report and we have been eager to hear from a KMT spokesperson on this topic. We've visited KMT headquarters, phoned and emailed multiple times, however, as we publish this podcast, we have not yet been granted an interview with a KMT spokesperson.

    On Wednesday June 19th as the bills came back to the Legislative Yuan for review, the Bluebird Movement gathered again on the streets around the parliament despite the scorching heat and thunderstorms. We went there to talk to one of the speakers, Assistant Professor Chen Fang-Yu (@FangYu_80168) from the Department of Political Science at Soochow University in Taiwan. He told us why the protests had returned and about additional bills being proposed by the KMT that are causing concerns. 

    Date of Recording: June 19th, 2024




    Under Taiwan's legal system, a request for reconsideration can be overturned by a simple legislative majority. On Friday June 21st, a majority of 62 votes comprising KMT, TPP as well as two independents rejected the Cabinet's request to reconsider the amendments to the Law Governing the Legislative Yuan's power and amendments to the criminal code.

    This raises the question as to what comes next.

    The ruling DPP says these reforms are unconstitutional and that their next step will be to challenge them in court. Experts and analysts we've talked to have told us that an appeal to the Constitutional Court is likely and if an appeal were lodged in June, it could be September or October before a verdict may be expected.

    DPP Caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) said that because a constitutional ruling could take some time, the caucus will also file a motion for "a preliminary injunction ruling" by the Constitutional Court to keep the amended laws from being implemented before a final ruling is delivered.

    The Bluebird Movement said that their efforts would also continue in the coming weeks.

    Meanwhile, the KMT has also mobilized its supporters to stage counter protests in what they are calling Blue Eagle Action.


    Professor Chen Fang-Yu addresses the pro-democracy protesters outside the Legislative Yuan in Taipei on June 19th
    Professor Chen Fang-Yu addresses the pro-democracy protesters at the Legislative Yuan on June 19th.



    DIVE DEEPER:

    Additional information on the topics covered in this episode:


    KMT Tweet:



    CSIS Tweet:


    Taiwan Stands Up for Democracy

     In this episode, we again report from Taipei on the growing protests against congressional reform legislation being pushed through Taiwan's parliament or Legislative Yuan by the China-friendly KMT or Kuomintang and the smaller Taiwan People's party or TPP.

    In the previous episode of this podcast, we reported from the protests on Tuesday May 21st when an estimated 10 to 15 thousand protesters showed up to demonstrate about the disregard for procedural due process and the content of a new package of reform legislation which many feel would challenge the authority of newly elected DPP president, Lai Ching-te.

    By midnight on Tuesday, the new legislation still lingered in the review process, so on Friday May 24th, the Legislature continued to debate the bills and the public returned to the streets around the parliament in Taipei. By 9:00pm organizers estimated that 100,000 people had come out to demonstrate against the package of new bills being pushed through Taiwan's parliament. According to local analysts, Taiwan hasn't seen protests of this size since the 2014 Sunflower Movement.

    The speed and efficiency with which the protests were organized and managed was very impressive and although there was a large police presence, the protests were very peaceful, respectful and dignified.

    These protests have also spread to other cities in Taiwan, with Friday night protests also happening concurrently in Taichung, Kaohsiung and Tainan.

    More than 50 Civil Society Organization including the Taiwan Citizen Front, Taiwan Economic Democracy Union, the Referendum Protecting Taiwan Alliance and DoubleThink Lab have all objected to the proposed legislation package and are demanding that all bills be sent back to their respective committees for reconsideration.

    Listeners may also be aware that on May 23rd and 24th, the military wing of the Chinese Communist Party, the People's Liberation Army or PLA, launched what they called "punishment drills" around Taiwan in response to the earlier inauguration of President Lai Ching-te. The drills are part of an escalating campaign of intimidation by China however, as you can hear from our interviewees, this wasn't foremost on their minds, nor did it feature in the protests.

    We also want to let you know that in order to present a balanced report, we have been eager to hear from a KMT spokesperson to share their view on this legislation and the goings on in the parliament and we continue to reach out to the KMT for comment. However, they have not yet responded to our requests.

    Ongoing discussion of these bills is expected to continue on Tuesday May 28th in parliament with more protests expected then. How it all pans out in the longer term is still unclear. There are some scenarios being speculated on in local media, and we've linked them below in the Dive Deeper section.

    On Friday May 24th, we spoke to a cross section of the crowd to hear their perspectives including former Taipei City Councilor, Miao Poya (@miaopoya)


    Date of Recording: May 24th, 2024




    Picture of large crowd attending Democracy Rally in Taipei on May 24th. Many of the crowd are holding signs and banners



    DIVE DEEPER:

    Additional information on the topics covered in this episode:

    • In Focus: How the Reform Bills are impacting the Legislature - Taipei Times (May 27th, 2024) link
    • 100,000 Demonstrate in Taipei against Pan-Blue Camps' Power Grab - Brian Hioe, New Bloom Magazine (May 25th, 2024) link
    • China warns of Taiwan 'war' as military drills encircle island - Agence France-Presse, VOA News (May 24th, 2024) - link
    • Cross-Strait Service Trade Agreement - wiki




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