Impeachment Movement Grows in Taiwan Less Than a Year After President Lai Takes Office [AK Radio]

Kuomintang Pushes for "President Lai's Impeachment"
Clash Intensifies as Budget Cuts Met with Recall Campaigns

Anti-government protests are spreading in Taiwan as the opposition pushes for the impeachment of President Lai Chingte. Amid escalating political instability, the Kuomintang (KMT), Taiwan's largest opposition party, has threatened to initiate impeachment proceedings against President Lai starting May 20, which marks his first year in office. According to Taiwan's Presidential Impeachment Law, impeachment can only be initiated against a president who has served at least one year in office. Since President Lai was inaugurated on May 20, 2023, impeachment proceedings will become possible starting next month on the 20th. Nationwide anti-government protests, led by the opposition, are currently ongoing.

The Kuomintang is protesting, claiming that President Lai has abused the recall system to remove KMT lawmakers from office. Taiwan's recall system allows for the dismissal of elected officials if more than 15% of local residents sign a petition and a subsequent referendum is held. After the KMT drastically reduced the government's budget in February, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and President Lai launched recall campaigns against opposition lawmakers, including those from the KMT. In response, the KMT and other opposition parties began their own recall campaigns against DPP lawmakers, escalating the confrontation to an extreme level.

Taiwan's opposition parties argue that the ruling party is abusing judicial power to suppress the legislature. In contrast, President Lai has responded to these claims by stating, "This is not dictatorship. The very fact that we can do this means Taiwan is a democracy," and further remarked, "If you want to fight dictatorship, go to Tiananmen Square," in a strongly worded statement.

Tsai Ingwen, President of Taiwan. Reuters Yonhap News

The current Taiwanese legislature, the Legislative Yuan, consists of 113 seats: the ruling DPP holds 51 seats, the opposition KMT has 52 seats, the Taiwan People's Party holds 8 seats, and there are 2 independents, bringing the total opposition seats to 62. According to Taiwan's Presidential Impeachment Law, an impeachment motion must be proposed by at least one-quarter of all lawmakers (29 members), and passed with the approval of at least two-thirds (76 members). With the opposition holding 62 seats, the likelihood of passing the impeachment motion is currently low; however, if 14 members of the DPP defect, the motion could pass.

President Lai believes the possibility of impeachment is low, but as opposition to him grows, the DPP's approval rating has continued to decline from the 60% range immediately after taking office to around 45-48% now. There are concerns that simply pushing for impeachment could serve as a rallying point for anti-DPP forces.

The sharp decline in President Lai's approval rating, less than a year after taking office, is attributed to his hardline stance against China and lack of cooperation with the opposition. There is growing dissatisfaction with his autocratic attitude, such as labeling any opposition to government policy as "Chinese spies." Notably, since the government announced a large-scale crackdown on Chinese spies in Taiwan last month, investigations have intensified, particularly targeting opposition figures, and there have been announcements of increased surveillance of civil servants, further fueling backlash. Criticism has arisen over whether these measures are genuinely aimed at arresting Chinese spies or simply removing political opponents.

As the conflict between the ruling and opposition parties intensifies, key livelihood issues are not being addressed, and national defense policies are not being properly established, leading to heightened security concerns. The economic situation is also deteriorating, and unresolved issues such as tariff negotiations with the United States are contributing to declining approval ratings.

On the 3rd of last month (local time), U.S. President Donald Trump (right) and TSMC Chairman Wei Zhejia met and shook hands. On that day, TSMC announced a $100 billion (approximately 143 trillion won) investment plan in the United States. Photo by EPA Yonhap News

Taiwan is currently facing both security threats from China and pressure from the United States over tariff negotiations. There are concerns that prolonged political instability or the passage of an impeachment motion could have significant repercussions. The Lai administration and the DPP are focusing on strengthening anti-China and pro-U.S. policies, but as the United States demands tariff negotiations, questions are being raised about whether Taiwan can truly trust the U.S.

The Taiwanese government is not only seeking to negotiate semiconductor tariff issues with the U.S. but is also willing to meet demands for increased investment in the U.S. and has expressed its intention to participate in the Alaska LNG development project requested by the U.S. However, some Taiwanese citizens argue that Taiwan may be following the U.S. too closely, especially when there is uncertainty over whether the U.S. will truly guarantee Taiwan's security.

Particularly, as the Trump administration has mentioned the possibility of withdrawing from NATO and has demanded a review of defense cost-sharing agreements with South Korea, there are concerns about whether the U.S. would actually deploy troops to Taiwan in the event of a conflict with China, or whether it would use Taiwan for leverage in negotiations with China and then abandon it. This is especially worrisome given that Taiwan does not have a formal alliance with the U.S.

In this context, opposition parties in Taiwan are strongly advocating for a more balanced diplomatic approach, raising the possibility that Taiwan's foreign policy could change significantly if there is a change of government. With China continuing military exercises near Taiwan and tensions rising, Taiwan's political instability and the resulting shifts in foreign policy are expected to have considerable effects on neighboring countries as well.