The 26th is the day of Taiwan's mass recall vote. Early in the morning, many citizens rushed to voting stations to cast their ballots. Former President Ma Ying-jeou went to a polling station near his residence in Wenshan District, Taipei City, queued up with citizens, and participated in the Lai Shibao recall vote.
After voting, he was asked by the media whether he was confident in the vote. Ma Ying-jeou replied, “Yes, I am confident. I am confident every time I vote.”
According to the Central Election Commission, a total of 5,947 polling stations have been set up across 9 counties and cities in Taiwan. Ballot counting will begin after voting ends at 4 PM.
The largest recall vote in Taiwan’s history will be conducted in two rounds. On July 26, the recall vote will be held for 24 Kuomintang (KMT) legislators and Hsinchu Mayor Ann Kao. On August 23, the recall vote will be held for another 7 KMT legislators.
In total, 31 legislators are facing the two waves of the “mass recall” crisis, all of whom are from the KMT. They account for over a quarter of the current seats in Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan. The voting results could rewrite the political landscape of the legislature and impact the strategy for the nine-in-one local elections in 2026.
There are currently 113 seats in Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan. The KMT holds 52 seats, making it the largest party. The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) holds 51, the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) has 8 (considered the “critical minority”), and two seats are independent.
After the 2024 general election, although the DPP won the presidency, it failed to secure a majority in the legislature, leaving President Lai Ching-te unable to “fully govern” and facing the challenge of a minority administration.
If this time, 6 KMT legislators are successfully recalled and the DPP wins all by-elections, the Green Camp could secure a majority with 57 seats in the Legislative Yuan. If between 1 and 5 KMT legislators are recalled and the DPP wins the by-elections, the DPP would still not achieve a majority in the legislature but could surpass the KMT, reversing the situation to become the largest party in the Legislative Yuan.