Legislators Clash Over Proposed Amendment to Recall Rules

Legislators in Taiwan have physically clashed over proposed changes to a law that would make it harder for elected officials to be recalled.

Transcript

00:00Physical clashes among legislators over proposed changes to a law to make it harder for elected

00:09officials to be recalled.

00:11The legislature's Internal Affairs Committee was supposed to discuss the amendments, introduced

00:16by the main opposition Kuomintang party.

00:18But instead, chaos broke out as some members of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party

00:23protested against the changes, and a break was quickly called.

00:26If you don't want to vote for the party, you have to think about the budget.

00:31Xu Yuzheng's version has the so-called highest and most difficult eviction threshold in history.

00:36The amendments would change the rules to mean an official could only be taken out of office

00:40if the number of votes in favor of their recall exceeds the number of votes they originally

00:44got to be elected, among other changes.

00:47Some DPP officials have said these changes are unconstitutional because they make it

00:51too hard to recall an official, taking power away from voters.

00:55They've also accused the KMT of proposing the changes because they're afraid their own

00:59officials are at risk of being recalled.

01:02But KMT officials argue it's currently too easy to recall an official.

01:06They had hoped the amendments would be reviewed.

01:18The clashes come a little over a month after a vote on whether to remove the Kuomintang

01:22mayor of Keelung, George Hsieh, from office.

01:25Nearly 70,000 people voted for Hsieh's ouster, but he ultimately stayed on.

01:30Whether recall rules will change remains to be seen, but it's clear this issue has divided

01:35politicians.

01:37Ryan Wu and Keynes Kuranta for Taiwan Plus.