Recall activists rally in Taipei, call for ouster of 'pro-China' KMT lawmakers

Taipei, July 19 (CNA) Campaigners seeking to remove 24 Kuomintang (KMT) lawmakers from office held a rally in Taipei on Saturday evening, urging supporters to reject "pro-China" politicians in the upcoming recall election.

The "incompetent" opposition in the national legislative body has plunged Taiwan into "serious crises" through attempts to undermine its democratic system, Daffy Lin, a volunteer with the campaign targeting KMT lawmaker Hung Mong-kai (洪孟楷), said at the rally outside the Legislative Yuan.

Lin urged supporters to head to the polls to "unseat pro-China lawmakers who seek to sell out Taiwan."

．KMT urges 'no' vote in recall election to send President Lai a message

Hung, a lawmaker from New Taipei, is one of 24 directly elected KMT legislators facing recall votes on July 26 to determine whether they would remain in office.

Another seven KMT lawmakers are set to face recall votes on Aug. 23, bringing the total to 31.

The outcome of the recall votes could reshape the balance of power in the Legislature, where the KMT and the smaller opposition Taiwan People's Party (TPP) currently hold a combined majority in the 113-seat Legislature.

The unprecedented recall bids were launched by informal civic groups and are widely backed by the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), whose Secretary-General Lin Yu-chang (林右昌) and legislative caucus secretary-general Wu Szu-yao (吳思瑤) also attended Saturday's rally.

Recall campaigners have accused the KMT of endorsing legislative motions that they say have undermined Taiwan's constitutional order and weakened efforts to strengthen its defense against growing military threats from China.

The KMT has rejected those claims, arguing that its lawmakers acted in accordance with the Constitution and were exercising legitimate oversight of the executive branch.

Taiwan's recall mechanism allows voters to remove lawmakers from office through public votes.

Once a recall passes, a by-election must be held within three months to elect a replacement.

Eva Chen, a 36-year-old interior designer who traveled from her hometown of Taichung to Taipei earlier on Saturday to attend the rally, told CNA she saw her participation as part of an effort to protect Taiwan.

She criticized KMT lawmakers for backing motions in the Legislature that "benefited" Beijing, including a proposal to make it easier for Chinese spouses to obtain Taiwanese ID cards, and another measure that, according to critics, could undermine Taiwan's ability to seek international support in the event of a conflict with China.

Chen said she and her family planned to vote next Saturday against their constituency's lawmaker, Huang Chien-hao (黃健豪), to express their rejection of the KMT.

According to the rally's organizers, an estimated 10,000 people attended on Saturday.