Legislature erupts in brawls as DPP tries to block contentious bills

Taipei, Dec. 20 (CNA) Fights broke out in the Legislature Friday morning, as opposition Kuomintang (KMT) lawmakers denounced their Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) counterparts for storming the chamber the previous night in a bid to block the morning session.

Due to the physical altercations and a long standoff between the two main parties, the legislative session did not start Friday until around 11:40 a.m., about an hour and a half behind the usual time.

The chaos began when the chamber opened at 9 a.m., as KMT lawmakers attempted to clear the areas occupied by DPP lawmakers, who had entered the Legislature the previous night by removing several windows and had surrounded the speaker's chair.

KMT and DPP lawmakers soon began pushing each other violently, resulting in some reported injuries.

As of press time, however, there had been no confirmation of the number of lawmakers injured or the types of injuries sustained.

Also on Thursday night, aides of ruling DPP lawmakers staged a sit-in outside the legislative chamber to prevent KMT lawmakers, who were camped there, from entering the chamber.

In a video posted on social media Thursday night, Wu Szu-yao (吳思瑤), secretary-general of the DPP legislative caucus, said that the party's actions were "extreme" but it "had no other options."

Wu criticized the KMT and the smaller opposition Taiwan People's Party (TPP), which together hold a legislative majority, over their expected attempt to push through three contentious bills on Friday.

The three bills aim to raise the thresholds for recalling elected officials, curb the Constitutional Court's ability to rule on cases, and overhaul the measures governing the distribution of central government revenue, respectively.

For the amendments to the election and recall act, the KMT has said they will prevent the power of recalls from "being abused," while it argued the amendment to the Constitutional Court Procedure Act would ensure broader consensus and prevent biased rulings.

As for the act governing the allocation of funding, the KMT said that the amendments will provide local governments with more equitable and stable funding to address public needs.

The DPP has argued that the bills should not be put to a vote on Friday, as there have been no comprehensive committee discussions, and inter-party negotiations have failed to resolve the differences.

Both the KMT and the TPP on Thursday denounced the ruling party's actions to block the bills.

"The KMT caucus strongly condemns the DPP lawmakers' attempts to disrupt Friday's session," the party's legislative caucus whip Fu Kun-chi (傅崐萁) said, likening the DPP's actions to a "break-in by thieves."