Taiwan conducts controversial votes focused on China’s legislators

Thousands of Taiwills are sent to polling stations in an unprecedented and controversial vote aimed at the displacement of legislators who are accused of China too close.

More than 30 legislators were aimed at the “Dabami” or voting for the recall initiated by the civilian movement.

Voting can potentially change the balance of forces in Taiwan, which has seen the months of political impasse between the Government of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the legislative body where the opposition of the Kumintang and its allies are dominated.

The question is deeply divided by the Taiwanese society in which great actions and fierce discussions have been seen. Both Pro-Recall activists and Anti-Recall claim that they are fighting for Taiwan’s democracy.

The movement around the vote began in the elections in January 2024, when the voters elected as President William Lay DPP, but gave the opposition a dominant presence in the Yuan Parliamentary law.

In the following months, the main opposition party of the Kumintang worked with the smaller People’s Party of Taiwan and independent to block the DPP bills and adopt conflicting legislative acts.

These steps angered some of the Taiwans who saw them as attempts to squeeze the PPP government, strengthening the parliamentary power of the opposition.

In May 2024, thousands began to hold protests in what was called the Movement of the Blue Bird, partly named after Taibay, where many gathered.

Many in the movement believe that the opposition led by a kumintan, which is known for its relatively friendly position in China, under the influence of Beijing and secretly pushes China’s agenda in the legislative body of Taiwan.

The party denied this, but the suspicion grew when a group of cumintang legislators visited China last year and welcomed the official Communist Party official Wang Haning.

Bluebird civilian groups have started petitions to displace different cumintang legislators, while the Cumintang supporters have avenged, doing the same with some DPP legislators.

So far, 31 legal deputies have received sufficient preliminary support to proceed to the final vote.

All of these places are occupied by kumintang – and if sufficiently recalled, it may mean that the DPP will eventually receive the majority in the legislative body.

While Taiwan had previously had voting recall, he has never seen so much in such a short time.

On Saturday, citizens in 24 districts will vote for a simple yes or no question: whether they agree to leave the legislator. Another voting round for the rest of the recall will take place in August.

In each district, if the number of votes exceeds 25% of the registered voters and more than half say that yes, the place should be released and the elections that take place within three months.

The voter turnout was considered as important for the success of the great recall.

In recent weeks, civilian groups have ruthlessly flooded social media platforms and knocked votes on the streets.

Meanwhile, Kumintang and his allies held rallies, urging voters to say “no”.

They claim that the DPP has submitted a great memory and movement of the blue bird to cancel the election results and gain power in the legislative yuan.

DPP originally sought to retire from the great movement of recall. But in the end, this showed its support, and Lai emphasized that the DPP “must comply with the power of people” and ordered the party officials to help groups “defend the nation”.

Beijing also went into discussion while viewing from afar.

His Taiwan Bureau accused Lay of “participating in a dictatorship under the guise of democracy” and “using all the funds that can be suppressed by the opposition.”