Taiwan lawmakers vote to pass motion to impeach Lai

The impeachment proposal against Taiwan leader, Lai Ching-te, initiated by the island's opposition lawmakers from the Chinese Kuomintang and Taiwan People's Party, was approved by Taiwan's "legislative yuan" on Friday, allowing the case to proceed.

The impeachment motion passed with 60 votes in favor and 51 against, surpassing the majority threshold in the "legislative yuan". The final roll-call vote on the impeachment is scheduled for May 19, following a series of public hearings and review meetings.

Lawmakers from the KMT and TPP announced a plan to impeach Lai at a joint news conference in Taipei on Dec 19, after the Lai administration on Dec 15 refused to promulgate an amendment to the government revenue allocation plan that had been enacted by the island's "legislature".

The amendment, revised by the opposition parties, would have allocated a larger share of government revenue to local governments. The Lai administration's refusal marked the first time a Taiwan leader has failed to enact a law passed by the "legislature".

According to the impeachment schedule, the island's "legislative body" will hold public hearings on Jan 14 and 15, followed by review meetings on Jan 21 and 22, as well as May 13 and 14, during which Lai will be required to answer questions from legislative representatives.

On Wednesday, Peng Qing'en, spokesman for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, criticized Lai's actions at a regular news conference in Beijing, saying that they run counter to the public will and have eroded the support of the people in Taiwan.

"Lai has stubbornly adhered to a 'Taiwan independence' stance, repeatedly undermining democracy and freedom, abusing the judicial system to suppress political opponents, engaging in 'green terror' and creating a 'chilling effect'," Peng said.

He further condemned the Lai administration for disregarding the welfare of the people in Taiwan for political gain, as well as manipulating and provoking political strife for personal political gain, which has led to strong public opposition.

At the same time, the online petition to "impeach Lai", launched in Taiwan on Dec 18, has reportedly surpassed 8 million signatures, according to media reports.

Tsai Cheng-yuan, a former lawmaker and a political commentator in Taiwan, said, "Lai spends all his time focusing on 'Taiwan independence', without considering Taiwan's economic development or social harmony."

An impeachment motion against the leader or deputy leader of the Taiwan authorities must first be proposed by at least half of the total lawmakers and approved by a two-thirds majority before being submitted to the judicial body for review.

Currently, the "legislative yuan" has 113 representatives, including 52 from the KMT, 51 from Lai's Democratic Progressive Party, eight from the TPP and two independents.