Taiwan’s opposition lawmakers defeat 2nd recall vote

​​​​​​​TAIPEI, Taiwan

Taiwanese voters on Saturday rejected recall attempts against seven opposition lawmakers, while a referendum to restart the island’s last nuclear reactor won more support than opposition but failed to meet the legal threshold to pass.

The seven Kuomintang (KMT) legislators defeated recall challenges, which could have ended their legislative term mid-way.

The outcome mirrored the first such round held in July, when voters also rejected efforts to unseat 24 KMT lawmakers and a Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) mayor.

Opposition parties dominate local legislature, leaving administration of Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-at the mercy of opposition vote to pass his policies.

Voters on Saturday also weighed in on a referendum to restart the Maanshan nuclear power plant in southern Taiwan’s Pingtung County, which was forwarded by the TPP.

While more than 4.3 million voted “agree,” the referendum fell short of the over 5 million votes required to be binding.

Turnout dipped below 30%, the lowest since Taiwan’s Referendum Act was revised in 2017.

The KMT and TPP said the referendum and recall vote results showed growing public support for nuclear power and dissatisfaction with the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).

KMT chair Eric Chu pledged reforms on the economy and governance, while TPP chair Huang Kuo-chang urged Lai to prioritize national unity over partisan conflict.