Voters in Taiwan once again rejected an effort by President Lai Ching-te’s party to flip parliament, a setback that could deepen political deadlock and complicate the island’s push to ramp up defense spending against rising pressure from Beijing.
None of the seven opposition Kuomintang (KMT) legislators targeted in Saturday’s second round of recall elections were removed, according to the Central News Agency. The result allows the KMT to maintain its joint majority in the legislature in collaboration with the smaller Taiwan People’s Party.
The outcome follows a July vote in which 24 KMT lawmakers also survived recall motions, dealing the ruling Democratic Progressive Party a heavy defeat. The recall campaigns, unprecedented in scale, were initiated by civic groups that accused the KMT of colluding with China and undermining national security, allegations the party denies.
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