TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Former Broadcasting Corporation of China (BCC, 中廣) Chairman Chao Shao-kang (趙少康) on Tuesday (Jan. 21) criticized the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP, 民進黨) for its lack of communication and compromise during the budget review process. Chao accused the party of fabricating facts through memes to create a climate for mass recalls.
Chao argued that the opposition Kuomintang (KMT, 國民黨) legislators had not served a whole year, making the DPP's recall initiative unjustified. He cited a Formosa Publishing Co. (美麗島電子報) poll indicating that 72% of voters oppose recalling legislators at this time. Chao also noted that even if the DPP successfully recalls a KMT legislator in a specific district, the low threshold for recall compared to the election might result in a negligible change in blue-green seat distribution.
He highlighted that in last year's election, President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) and 79 regional legislators were elected simultaneously. Lai secured 40% of the valid votes, and DPP regional legislators obtained 45%, falling short of a majority. Chao criticized the DPP for initiating mass recalls while hiding behind civic groups, forcing the KMT to adopt a defensive stance.
Chao pointed out that the Presidential and Vice Presidential Election and Recall Act (總統副總統選舉罷免法) requires a quarter of Legislative Yuan (立法院) legislators to propose a presidential recall, with two-thirds agreeing to proceed and over half of all voters approving. He suggested that if KMT and Taiwan People's Party (TPP, 民眾黨) legislators, who hold a majority, amend the act to lower the agreement threshold to half, it could pressure Lai.