Taiwan's president to launch speaking tour as KMT faces recall pressure

Taipei, June 21 (CNA) Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) will embark on a tour starting Sunday to give 10 public speeches in various cities and counties, the Presidential Office said on Saturday, stressing that the events were not intended to campaign for recall initiatives targeting opposition Kuomintang (KMT) lawmakers.

At a news conference in Taipei, Presidential Office spokesperson Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) said Lai aimed to talk about government measures in response to the volatile geopolitical situation and threats from authoritarian regimes during the tour.

According to Kuo, the first talk will take place in New Taipei on Sunday evening, at the invitation of Rotary International's District 3490, which includes 16 chapters in New Taipei, Keelung City, Yilan, and Hualien counties.

She declined to provide more details about subsequent speeches, saying only that they would address a range of topics, including Taiwan's constitutional system, diplomatic and defense efforts, economic development, democratic resilience, and cross-Taiwan Strait relations.

Other themes, such as the nation, unity, peace and prosperity, were described in broader terms, making it unclear what specific messages the president plans to convey.

Kuo denied that the tour, announced just one day after the Central Election Commission (CEC) confirmed public votes determining the fate of 24 KMT directly elected lawmakers would take place on July 26, was part of the recall campaign push.

Back in February, DPP legislative caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘), who has called for the recall of all 39 KMT lawmakers who were directly elected since last January, hinted at Lai's eventual involvement by saying "the biggest star should take the stage [when the campaign] reaches the climax."

Lai, nonetheless, has never publicly and unambiguously voiced his support for the recall movement against the KMT lawmakers.

On Saturday, Kuo said the recall proposals were initiated by civil society groups and that any suggestion that someone had the power to direct or stop them showed disrespect for the law that guarantees citizens' right to recall public officials.

Speaking with local reporters on Saturday, KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) accused the DPP of trying to "crush and eliminate the opposition" through the recall campaigns.

The KMT, together with the smaller opposition Taiwan People's Party, forms a majority in the Legislature, which has ordered considerable cuts to the government's 2025 budget and blocked other policy initiatives introduced by Lai's administration.

Chu was attending an event in Taipei to show support for KMT lawmaker Lee Yen-hsiu (李彥秀), one of the 24 lawmakers facing the votes on July 26.

Others include Fu Kun-chi (傅崐萁), who also serves as KMT's legislative caucus whip, Wang Hung-wei (王鴻薇) and Hsu Chiao-hsin (徐巧芯), among others.