The opposition’s push to impeach Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te has entered a new phase after he refused last week to appear at related legislative hearings.
The no-show has further deepened partisan strife and is likely to complicate governance ahead of year-end local government elections, observers warn, although most agree that the impeachment motion is unlikely to clear Taiwan’s high constitutional threshold.
The impeachment motion – an unprecedented move against a sitting leader of Taiwan – was launched late last year by the main opposition party, the Kuomintang (KMT), and the smaller Taiwan People’s Party (TPP).
It came after the cabinet declined to countersign amendments to a revised fiscal allocation law passed by the legislature, where the opposition holds a slim majority. The revised law aims to increase the share of central funds allocated to local governments, thereby reducing central government funds.
Under Taiwan’s constitutional system, an impeachment motion against the island’s leader must be proposed by more than half of the 113-seat parliament, or a minimum of 57 lawmakers. It must then be approved by at least a two-thirds majority – or 76 votes – before being sent to the Constitutional Court for adjudication.
This bar is widely seen as unattainable for the opposition. The ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) holds 51 seats, compared with 62 for the opposition and independents – leaving them 14 votes short of the two-thirds majority needed to pass the motion.
Nevertheless, the opposition-led legislature voted last month to proceed with two public hearings and four parliamentary review sessions, inviting Lai to attend and explain his position.
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