Polls open for KMT lawmaker recall votes, nuclear power referendum

Taipei, Aug. 23 (CNA) Voting started in Taiwan at 8 a.m. Saturday to recall seven opposition Kuomintang (KMT) lawmakers and decide in a referendum whether to resume operations at a nuclear power plant located in Pingtung County, southern Taiwan.

The vote, which aims to oust seven KMT lawmakers, marks the second round of efforts by civil groups to recall a total of 31 out of 39 directly elected KMT legislators. The first round, which was staged on July 26, failed to remove any of the 24 targeted lawmakers.

The 31 KMT legislators were elected in January 2024, mainly from electoral districts in the northern half of Taiwan, a traditional stronghold of the opposition.

In the Saturday recall efforts, the seven KMT lawmakers targeted are Lo Ming-tsai (羅明才) from New Taipei City in northern Taiwan, Lin Szu-ming (林思銘) from Hsinchu County, also in northern Taiwan, Johnny Chiang (江啓臣), Yen Kuan-heng (顏寬恒) and Yang Chiung-ying (楊瓊瓔) elected in Taichung City in central Taiwan, and Ma Wen-chun (馬文君) and Yu Hao (游顥) from Nantou County, also in central Taiwan. Chiang currently serves as the deputy legislative speaker.

In 2024, the ruling Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) Lai Ching-te (賴清德) won the presidential election with 40 percent of the vote, but the party lost its majority in the Legislative Yuan.

The KMT secured 52 seats, including 13 legislators at large, the DPP 51, including 13 legislators at large, and the Taiwan People's Party (TPP), another opposition party, eight legislators at large, with two independents who are ideologically aligned with the KMT. The KMT legislator at large Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) was elected legislative speaker.

Since the 2024 election, the KMT has worked closely with the TPP to pass several prominent bills the opposition camp favored, including a cut in the central government's proposed general budget, sparking an outcry from the ruling party.

Characterizing an effort to recall opposition lawmakers as a move to protect Taiwan from Chinese Communist Party encroachment, civil groups geared up to launch a mass recall campaign with the DPP government aiming to reestablish its majority by winning by-elections after removing as many KMT lawmakers as possible.

After the July 26 recall votes, the DPP acknowledged the failure of the mass recall effort, framing the result as a reflection of civic engagement rather than a partisan contest.

The KMT praised the clean sweep against the recall campaigns as "a big victory for Taiwan's people," saying it showed that voters opted for stability.

Despite the crushing defeat in July, Lai urged the DPP to continue working with civil groups to push for the mass recall efforts in the August vote.

The referendum, proposed by the TTP, seeks to resume operations at the No. 3 nuclear power plant, which was phased out in May to fulfill the DPP government's goal of a nuclear free homeland, an energy policy rejected by the opposition camp, citing fears over electricity shortages.

On the other hand, residents in Pingtung protested against the resumption of operation at the nuclear power plant, saying the facility, which operated for 40 years before shutting down, is located on a seismic fault line which makes it very dangerous as Taiwan is often hit by earthquakes.

Under the Public officials Election and Recall Act, a recall vote is successful if the number of voters supporting the recall exceeds the number of voters against the recall in an electoral district, and the number of voters in favor of the recall surpasses 25 percent of eligible voters in the district.

In the event a lawmaker is removed a by-election will be held within three months of the results being officially announced by the Central Election Commission (CEC).

Meanwhile, based on the Referendum Act, a referendum succeeds if the number of "yes" votes tops the number of "no" votes and the number of voters casting "yes" ballots exceeds 25 percent of the total eligible voters.

For Saturday's votes, the CEC reminded voters heading to the polls to take their national identification cards, personal seals and election notification with them.

Voters are required to turn off their mobile phones and barred from taking cameras into polling stations when they cast their ballots. Anyone who violates these rules faces a fine ranging from NT$30,000 (US$980.87) to NT$300,000.

The votes will continue until 4 p.m. and the vote count will follow immediately.