NANTOU, Taiwan — The first recall vote of its kind in Taiwan under the current wave of political recalls was held today in Nantou County. Targeted in the effort was Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) County Councilor Chen Yuling, who represents the fourth constituency (Zhushan and Lugu townships). However, the recall attempt was ultimately unsuccessful, as it failed to garner enough support to meet the legal threshold for removal from office.
Councilor Chen, who was elected in 2022 with 5,028 votes, has been a key grassroots figure for the DPP in the region. Her support for the recall of Kuomintang (KMT) legislator You Hao led the opposing camp to initiate a recall campaign against her. The Central Election Commission had earlier announced that for the recall to succeed, it required not only more “yes” votes than “no” votes but also that the number of votes in favor must reach at least 25% of eligible voters—14,302 out of a total of 57,207 registered in the constituency.
Despite the highly anticipated vote, turnout was low—an outcome not uncommon in local-level elections. Voting concluded at 4 p.m., and the tally revealed that the number of supportive votes fell short of the required threshold. As a result, the recall was officially deemed a failure.
Following the announcement, Chen Yuling expressed gratitude to her constituents and confirmed the failure of the recall. She is expected to deliver a speech at her service office in Zhushan to personally thank her supporters for standing by her throughout the process.
This event marked the only recall attempt initiated by the opposition against a green camp official across the country during this political season.
