Lai pledges Cabinet reshuffle, dialogue with opposition after recall votes, referendum

Taipei, Aug. 23 (CNA) The months-long recall campaign aimed at unseating most lawmakers from the opposition Kuomintang (KMT) ended in a rout for the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) on Saturday, prompting its leader and President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) to promise a Cabinet reshuffle.

Lai also struck a conciliatory tone during a news conference held shortly after seven recall votes and a national pro-nuclear referendum, pledging more dialogue with the opposition and signaling openness to adjusting energy policy.

He said he valued the "voices" of those who voted against the recalls and their hope for dialogue between the ruling and opposition parties rather than partisan antagonism.

However, Lai did not elaborate on how he would foster more dialogue with the opposition, especially after past efforts yielded little progress, saying only that his administration would "face the challenge with sincerity."

At the same time, he said the Cabinet would be reshuffled to ensure the government "is more effective at solving problems and in tune with public opinion," while noting that Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) would be retained.

Speaking during a CNA special live show, Chen Shih-min (陳世民), a political science professor at National Taiwan University, said the reshuffle must show the public that the government was injecting "renewed energy."

Meanwhile, KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), without going into detail, said any reshuffle must "prioritize the interests of all citizens" rather than consolidating Lai's own power or protecting the DPP's interests.

Saturday's votes have once again reaffirmed that people want "checks on the government by a strong opposition," Chu said, adding that Lai and his Cabinet should "respect the legislative majority" held by the KMT and the smaller Taiwan People's Party (TPP).

Recall votes

All seven KMT lawmakers -- including Deputy Legislative Speaker Johnny Chiang (江啓臣) -- survived Saturday's recall votes by comfortable margins of 28 to 38 points, with turnouts ranging from 46-50 percent, according to Central Election Commission (CEC) data.

The results capped a series of high-profile but unsuccessful DPP-backed recall efforts aimed at overturning the opposition's majority in the Legislature.

The widened gaps between votes supporting and opposing the recalls also reflected the waning momentum of the effort, stemming from previous failed attempts to unseat 24 KMT lawmakers.

With none of the 31 recall votes targeting KMT lawmakers succeeding, the balance of power in the 113-seat Legislature remains unchanged: the KMT holds 52 seats plus two ideologically aligned independents, the DPP has 51, and the TPP holds eight.

Plebiscite on nuclear power

Saturday was also a test for the energy policy of Lai's administration, as more than 4.3 million voters supported the referendum seeking to restart the Maanshan Nuclear Power Plant (No. 3) in Pingtung County, with only 1.5 million opposed it.

Despite majority support among those who cast ballots on the TPP proposal, those votes made up less than 25 percent of all eligible voters -- or 5,000,523 votes -- thereby falling short of the threshold required for a referendum to pass, the CEC data showed.

Soochow University political science professor Su Tzu-chiao (蘇子喬) said the low turnout reflected "voter fatigue," noting that, as in most countries, it is unrealistic to expect the public to turn out to polling stations twice within such a short period of time.

In addition, Su said during the CNA live show that the contested referendum question might also have led voters to feel there was little point in casting their ballots.

Critics argued the lack of clarity and enforcement in the question meant that, even if the referendum had passed, the government would not have been required to restart the Maanshan within a set timeframe.

On Saturday, Lai said he "fully understand[s] public expectations for a diversified energy mix" in Taiwan and that his administration would not rule out the use of "advanced" nuclear technology that guarantees more safety and produces less waste.

On the issue of restarting decommissioned nuclear power plants, Lai said the government would abide by new law revisions, and he ordered the Nuclear Safety Commission to establish safety review guidelines and Taiwan Power Co. (Taipower) carry out safety checks accordingly.

He was referring to the passage in May of amendments to the Nuclear Reactor Facilities Regulation Act, which provide a legal basis for continuing to operate nuclear power plants even after they have entered the decommissioning stage.

Even if Taipower completes its safety checks, the results must still be approved by the nuclear regulator, adding to the uncertainty around the timeline for restarting the Maanshan.

Speaking with reporters on Saturday evening, Chu, the KMT chair, called on the government to "pragmatically correct its wrong energy policies" by bringing back nuclear power.

"National security cannot be built on slogans ... Without stable power supply, there is no national competitiveness," Chu said.

Nuclear in Taiwan

Nuclear power has long been a fault line in Taiwan's politics, with the DPP traditionally championing the anti-nuclear movement and the KMT and TPP leaning toward pro-nuclear policies.

Prior to Saturday, two nuclear-related referendums had been held in the past: the 2018 "using nuclear to support green energy" proposal, which passed, and the 2021 "restarting the Lungmen Nuclear Power Plant (No. 4)" proposal, which failed.

The DPP government adopted a policy of phasing out nuclear power by 2025 after former President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) took office in 2016, drawing criticism from the opposition.

In recent years, the business sector has also raised concerns about the government's ability to ensure stable and sufficient energy supply amid growing demand, citing Taiwan's heavy reliance on imported liquefied natural gas and delays in developing renewable energy.