Taiwan opposition starts long shot bid to impeach President Lai
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The opposition says it wants to impeach Taiwan President Lai Ching-te because his government refused to implement an amendment it passed.
PHOTO: AFP
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TAIPEI – Taiwan’s opposition lawmakers started the process of impeaching President Lai Ching-te – a bid that will almost certainly fail given they lack the votes to go forward.
On Dec 26, legislators from the Kuomintang and the Taiwan People’s Party set the impeachment vote for May 19, 2026.
The effort is very likely to stall out then because while the parties hold a majority of seats in Parliament, they lack the necessary two-thirds to proceed.
The move by the opposition comes as tensions simmer between Mr Lai and the opposition parties over handling relations with China, how tax funds are spent, the need for reforms to institutions like the judiciary and more.
The opposition says it wants to impeach Mr Lai because his government refused to implement an amendment it passed that would shift more fiscal revenue to city and county governments, many of which are controlled by the KMT.
The lawmakers accused him of violating constitutional checks on presidential power.
Presidential Office spokeswoman Karen Kuo said before the date for the impeachment vote was set that the office respects the opposition’s move as long as it is “lawful, constitutional and procedurally sound”.
Even if the impeachment were to clear the legislature, it is also unlikely the Constitutional Court would rule in the opposition’s favour.
All of the sitting grand justices were appointed by former president Tsai Ing-wen, who belongs to Mr Lai’s Democratic Progressive Party.
Mr Lai, who favours taking a tougher stance toward China, won the presidency in 2024
No Taiwan president has been impeached since the archipelago shifted to a democracy in the 1990s. BLOOMBERG
