Politics News

Taiwan's first impeachment vote against President Lai fails, 20 votes short of two-thirds

Taiwan's opposition-controlled legislature failed on Tuesday, May 19, to impeach President Lai Ching-te. Focus Taiwan, the English service of the Central News Agency, reported the vote as 56–50 in favour, 20 short of the two-thirds of 113 seats, or 76 votes, needed to send the case to the Constitutional Court. It described it as the first such vote in Taiwan's history.

The Kuomintang (KMT) and the Taiwan People's Party (TPP) launched the motion in December 2025 after Lai declined to promulgate a bill giving local governments a larger share of tax revenue. The KMT, TPP and two aligned independents hold 62 seats. KMT caucus secretary-general Lin Pei-hsiang called Lai “incompetent” on diplomatic affairs, while the ruling DPP's caucus whip Tsai Chi-chang called the motion a waste of time.

“What the people care about now is whether the ruling and opposition parties can work together to boost the economy.” — Tsai Chi-chang, via Focus Taiwan

Hong Kong's The Standard and the Philippines' GMA News, both carrying AFP, linked the vote to a defence budget dispute: the government proposed NT$1.25 trillion for weapons, including US arms and home-made drones and munitions, while the opposition passed NT$780 billion for US arms only.

How each outlet framed it

• Focus Taiwan — the arithmetic and each party's arguments, including the TPP's charge that Lai failed to uphold his “four pillars of peace”.
• The Standard — the China angle: Beijing's threats, and KMT chair Cheng Li-wun's recent meeting with Xi Jinping.
• GMA News — mutual accusations: opposition claims that Lai is “dictatorial”, and a DPP lawmaker's charge of “coordinating with external hostile forces”.

What we don't know yet: Whether Premier Cho Jung-tai's pledge to “continue to push for reconciliation and coexistence” will ease the budget standoff.