The Great Recall: Taiwan’s Citizen-led Campaign to Defend Democracy
Taiwan is bracing for a political reckoning. On July 26, voters across the country will participate in an unprecedented recall election. Initiated earlier this year by grassroots groups determined to hold elected officials accountable, the campaign has primarily targeted China-leaning legislators from Kuomintang (KMT), the main opposition party. In response, the KMT launched counter-recall campaigns against lawmakers from the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). Only the recall petitions against KMT legislators met the required threshold of valid signatures to move forward.
This Saturday’s vote will be followed by additional recall elections for targeting seven more additional KMT lawmakers in August, signaling a dramatic new chapter in Taiwan’s democratic evolution — and a powerful display demonstration of grassroots activism in action.
Nicknamed the “Great Recall,” this mass vote marks the largest coordinated use of Taiwan’s recall mechanism in history and could significantly shift the island nation’s political balance.
Key Takeaways
At its core, the “Great Recall” reflects a growing grassroots push to safeguard Taiwan’s democracy and counter mounting political interference from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Many of the lawmakers targeted for recall have drawn public scrutiny for their close ties to Beijing, including high-profile visits and rhetoric that closely mirrors CCP narratives and propaganda. One of the major flashpoints came in April 2024, when KMT caucus leader Fu Kun-chi led a delegation of KMT legislators to Beijing to meet with senior CCP official Wang Huning, a central figure of Communist China’s United Front system and Xi Jinping’s chief adviser on “Taiwan affairs.” While Fu called it a peace gesture, critics accused him of “selling out Taiwan” and betraying its democratic values.
The recall movement, led by local civic groups, signals that Taiwanese civil society is prepared to act decisively against domestic political actors perceived as compromised or aligned with Beijing’s interests. Their message is clear: elected officials in Taiwan who appear to prioritize Beijing’s agenda over Taiwan’s sovereignty, security, and democratic values will face consequences at the ballot box. In an era of intensifying cross-strait tensions, the movement highlights the resolve of Taiwan’s electorate to defend its hard-won democracy from within.
What Is a Recall?
A recall is a democratic mechanism enshrined in Taiwan’s Constitution and election laws that allows voters to remove elected officials before the end of their term.
To trigger a recall vote, organizers must collect valid signatures from at least 10% of eligible voters in the constituency. For the recall to succeed, “yes” votes must outnumber “no” votes and represent at least 25% of eligible voters.
While the mechanism has existed for decades, it has rarely been used on such a large scale. This summer’s coordinated effort, driven by grassroots mobilization, has placed over 30 KMT lawmakers on the path to recall votes — an unprecedented development in Taiwan’s democratic history.
Taiwan’s Political Landscape
Taiwan’s 2024 elections produced a divided government. President Lai Ching-te of the ruling DPP won the presidency. The KMT, in alliance with the smaller Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), secured a narrow majority in the 113-seat Legislative Yuan (LY), holding approximately 60 to 62 seats depending on the inclusion of allied independents. The DPP holds 51 seats.
Since taking control of the legislature, the KMT-TPP bloc has pushed for controversial measures, including deep budget cuts, particularly targeting defense spending, and has attempted to significantly and unconstitutionally expand the legislature’s investigative and oversight powers at the expense of the executive, supervisory, and judicial branches. These moves have sparked widespread backlash from civil society. The KMT, in turn, has denounced the recall efforts as a politically motivated “power grab.”
What Sparked the Recalls?
Controversial policy proposals and legislative actions from the KMT-TPP coalition, aimed at expanding legislative power and undermining constitutional checks and balances, galvanized the recall movement. These include attempts to expand legislative investigative powers (later struck down by the Constitutional Court as unconstitutional), eliminate civilian support roles in wartime, and fast-track naturalization for Chinese spouses.
Many KMT lawmakers have also advocated closer ties with Beijing, with some even referring to Taiwan as part of a broader Chinese polity. For example, the coalition also opposed a legislative motion affirming that UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 does not recognize China’s sovereignty claims over Taiwan, despite similar clarifications being adopted by the United States and European partners to counter Beijing’s mischaracterization of the resolution.
Civic groups, such as “Anti-Communist, Safeguard Taiwan Volunteers Alliance” (反共護台志工聯盟), founded by chip tycoon Robert Tsao and 29 other civic society organizations, argue that the KMT is undermining Taiwan’s democratic institutions and enabling Communist China’s influence. Tsao himself declared, “The recall campaign is the [Taiwanese people’s] pursuit of justice.”
Democracy Under Threat
This movement stands as a powerful testament to Taiwan’s democratic resilience. At a time when Beijing is ramping up its disinformation campaigns and political warfare, Taiwanese civil society is actively leveraging democratic and constitutional mechanisms to hold elected officials accountable and push back against perceived external influence from China. For Washington and other democratic partners, the recall outcome could have significant implications for Taiwan’s internal stability, international standing, and future alignment in the U.S.-China strategic rivalry.
