TAIWAN — July 26, 2025 — Initial results from Saturday’s nationwide recall voting suggest that most of the 24 lawmakers from the opposition Kuomintang (KMT) are poised to retain their posts, with early vote counts indicating a lead against the recall motions.
Within the first hour of vote counting, trends showed that a majority of ballots opposed the removal of KMT legislators. However, two lawmakers—Yeh Yuan-chih (New Taipei) and Lo Ting-wei (Taichung)—emerged as possible exceptions, with early figures hinting at stronger support for their recall, according to reports from the Central News Agency (CNA).
One of the most closely watched contests involved KMT Caucus Whip Fu Kun-chi, a high-profile figure who previously served as Hualien County chief and whose wife currently heads the county government. Preliminary results showed Fu surviving the recall challenge.
The wave of recall campaigns was launched by civil society groups critical of the KMT and its ally, the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP). These groups, aligned with the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), accused the opposition of exploiting its legislative power to delay or block government policies and of promoting measures that allegedly favor China.
In response, both the KMT and TPP pushed back, claiming that President Lai Ching-te’s administration was using recalls as a political weapon to silence dissent.
Currently, the KMT holds the largest bloc in the Legislative Yuan with 52 seats, followed by the DPP with 51, and the TPP with 8. Two independent lawmakers generally side with the KMT, giving the opposition a slim but strategic advantage.
Under Taiwanese election law, any legislator who survives a recall vote may continue to serve their term until January 2028, without the risk of another recall attempt.
The political showdown is far from over. Recall votes for seven additional KMT lawmakers are scheduled for August 23, coinciding with a nationwide referendum on nuclear energy.
Meanwhile, voters in Hsinchu City also participated in a separate recall vote on Saturday concerning suspended Mayor Kao Hung-an, who was elected under the TPP banner in 2022.
