DPP pledges to fully support July recall vote civic groups

Taipei, June 21 (CNA) DPP Secretary-General Lin Yu-chang (林右昌) said Saturday that his party would fully support civil groups aiding in recall votes targeting 24 lawmakers from the opposition Kuomintang (KMT), and suspended Hsinchu Mayor Ann Kao (高虹安), formerly of the Taiwan People's Party (TPP), scheduled for late July.

During his visit to Hualien County, a KMT stronghold in eastern Taiwan, Lin expressed gratitude to residents for gathering 28,139 valid signatures -- 67 percent more than the required 19,377 -- to advance the recall vote against Fu Kun-chi (傅崐萁), despite various challenges.

Lin emphasized that recalling politicians is a fundamental right rooted in public will and said the DPP was committed to steadfastly pledging resources to civic initiatives.

Lin's visit to eastern Taiwan followed the Central Election Commission's (CEC) announcement of the recall vote list on July 26, as the DPP aims to reshape the parliamentary landscape for a majority government.

The ruling party holds 51 seats in the Legislature, compared to the KMT's 52, with the Taiwan People's Party (TPP) securing eight seats. Two seats are held independently but align closely with the KMT.

In addition to Fu, who serves as KMT's caucus whip, other key figures facing recall include Taipei lawmakers Wang Hung-wei (王鴻薇), Hsu Chiao-hsin (徐巧芯), Lee Yen-hsiu (李彥秀), Lo Chih-chiang (羅智強), and Lai Shyh-bao (賴士葆).

To counter the DPP-backed recall efforts, the KMT plans to implement a "regional joint defense" strategy, mobilizing support for its lawmakers and enhancing coordination among pan-blue local governments, said KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) during an anti-recall event in Taipei on Saturday morning.

On Friday evening, TPP Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) also urged the public to vote against the recalls on July 26.

He argued that such votes would reject political strife and serve as a vote of no confidence in President Lai Ching-te (賴清德), who chairs the DPP.