Name: Tens of thousands rally in Taiwan against William Lai as recall turmoil engulfs legislature
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Amber Wang

Tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets of Taipei on the weekend as part of an opposition rally against Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te.
The Kuomintang (KMT) organisers of the rally claimed that more than 200,000 supporters attended the event. Citing an unidentified police source, Taiwan news site UDN.com said that at least 60,000 people attended the rally.
Protesters gathered on Ketagalan Boulevard in front of the Presidential Office Building on Saturday, holding Republic of China flags and banners denouncing Lai’s rule.
Addressing the crowd, KMT chairman Eric Chu Li-luan accused Lai of being a “dictator” who was trying to “eliminate opposition parties”.


The rally is the latest episode in a controversial campaign to recall legislators that has embroiled the island.
The campaign, backed by Lai’s Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), threatens the recall of 34 lawmakers from the mainland-friendly KMT.
In response, KMT-aligned civic groups have launched recall drives against several DPP legislators, with 15 of them now also facing potential recall.
The KMT, which has not held the presidency since 2016, has 52 of the 113 legislative seats. Along with the smaller Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), which has eight seats, and two independents, the opposition has formed a fragile but effective majority in the legislature.

The result has been legislative gridlock, with the DPP seeking to break the stand-off through the campaign.
For a recall to proceed, campaigns must gather endorsements from at least 10 per cent of an electoral district’s voters. This is followed by a recall vote, which requires a 25 per cent turnout and a majority in favour.
As the recall campaign has snowballed, at least a dozen pro-KMT organisers have come under investigation or been detained on allegations of forging petition signatures targeting DPP lawmakers.
A day before the rally, Taipei District Court ordered the detention of Huang Lu Chin-ju, the head of the KMT’s Taipei branch, on charges related to allegedly forged signatures on recall petitions targeting two DPP legislators.
The KMT has accused Lai of using the judiciary to persecute KMT members while Lai has urged the KMT to not politicise cases before the justice system.


At the rally on Saturday, Chu called for a motion in the legislature to recall Lai after May 20, the first anniversary of the Taiwanese leader’s inauguration.
The protest was also attended by other top KMT figures as well as TPP chairman Huang Kuo-chang, who accused Lai of punishing opposition parties, including former TPP leader Ko Wen-je, who has been charged with corruption.
Former Taiwanese leader Ma Ying-jeou also used the protest to target Lai, accusing him of destabilising cross-strait relations, which Ma said contrasted with the stability of his own eight-year term.
Last month, Lai unveiled 17 national security strategies in response to perceived threats from the mainland. He also labelled Beijing as a “foreign hostile force”, prompting condemnation from Beijing and military drills around the islands.
According to a poll conducted earlier this month by the Taiwan Public Opinion Foundation, a Taipei-based independent polling agency, Lai’s disapproval rating has risen to roughly 45.7 per cent, the highest level since he took office.
Beijing sees Taiwan as part of China to be reunited by force if necessary. Most countries, including the US, do not recognise Taiwan as an independent state, but Washington is opposed to any attempt to take the self-governed island by force and is committed to arm Taiwan.


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Tens of thousands rally in Taiwan against William Lai as recall turmoil engulfs legislature

Crowds flood into Ketagalan Boulevard for an opposition rally in Taipei on Saturday. Photo: CNA

Taiwanese opposition forces stage a large-scale anti-government rally in Taipei on Saturday. Photo: Kyodo

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A poster reading “recall” is placed on the floor and banners reading “Illegal meeting, invalid resolution” are plastered throughout the legislative chamber, as the ruling DPP backs the recall campaign, in Taipei on March 28. Photo: AFP

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DPP lawmaker Ker Chien-ming (centre) stands on a poster with the word “recall” at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei on March 28. Photo: AFP

DPP legislative caucus whip Ker Chien-ming called for a mass recall campaign in January. Photo: CNA

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William Lai Ching-te took office in May last year but his popularity levels have fallen. Photo: EPA-EFE

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KMT and TPP leaders accuse Lai and his DPP of trying to eliminate opposition parties


KMT and TPP leaders accuse Lai and his DPP of trying to eliminate opposition parties.


Tens of thousands rally in Taiwan against William Lai as recall turmoil engulfs legislature

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}KMT and TPP leaders accuse Lai and his DPP of trying to eliminate opposition parties

KMT and TPP leaders accuse Lai and his DPP of trying to eliminate opposition parties