Despite Widespread Protests, Taiwan Passes Controversial Bill Curbing New President’s Power

Taiwan lawmakers passed legislation that could curb the authority of President Lai Ching-te, as thousands of protesters gathered outside parliament to oppose the changes.

The controversial measure became law Tuesday afternoon following a day of raucous debates and scuffles between Lai’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party and opposition groups, which saw one lawmaker’s T-shirt ripped. That contrasted with demonstrations outside parliament, which remained peaceful though lively.

“Even if democracy is dead, we will not stop fighting,” protesters shouted.

Progress on passing revisions to the Law Governing the Legislative Yuan’s Power had been slow earlier in the day, as the DPP requested lawmakers go through all 77 articles of the law — even those not being changed — as a stalling tactic.

The growing protest follows demonstrations last week that were among the largest since the 2014 Sunflower student movement, when protesters stormed and occupied Taiwan’s parliament to block the passage of an unpopular trade pact with China.

The legislative changes backed by the Kuomintang and Taiwan People’s Party expand lawmakers’ ability to summon the president, companies and even the general public for questioning. It also gives them access to confidential documents.

There are concerns those powers could let lawmakers derail President Lai’s agenda, and lead to leaks of sensitive information and punishments for those who refuse to answer questions. Taiwan already has the Control Yuan, a supervisory branch of government with the power to investigate and impeach officials.

The floor of the legislature was as colorful and boisterous as the streets outside throughout Tuesday, as lawmakers from both sides festooned parliament with placards.

DPP lawmakers also waved boba tea-shaped torches, shouting, “Brush your teeth! Your breath stinks!” at their KMT colleagues, a reference to what they claim are opposition lies about the bill. “End the meeting if there is no discussion,” they said.  

As the disagreement turned physical, KMT lawmakers yelled: “The DPP is a violent party.”

The political turmoil comes in Lai’s first weeks as president, and the amendments could impair his ability to enact policies in the island that sits at the heart of China-U.S. tensions. President Xi Jinping’s government considers Taiwan a breakaway territory and slammed its new leader as an “independence worker” after Lai’s inauguration last week.

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The KMT, which advocates closer relations with China, has pushed back at suggestions the law is the result of outside influence. “It has nothing to do with anyone, anything beyond our air defense identification zone,” said Alexander Huang, an advisor to the party, referring to a security buffer area around the island that Beijing frequently enters.

But protesters are angry the two parties have cooperated to bring legislation directly to a floor vote, without the normal clause-by-clause deliberation in committee. A bill prepared by President Lai’s Democratic Progressive Party was, meanwhile, left in committee.

With the help of social media — especially Threads, which reportedly has nearly 2 million active users in Taiwan — protests for Tuesday were quickly arranged across at least 10 cities. Even Miaoli, a county which has a long history of supporting the Kuomintang, is set to see demonstrations. 

“Citizens speak up rationally. Young people show their strength,” Lai said in a post on X on Saturday. “The legislative branch should heed these voices and resume normal operations as soon as possible.”

As the opposition parties hold the majority of seats in the parliament, the passage of the legislation was always all but inevitable. Lai’s party has pledged to seek a constitutional review, Ker Chien-ming, the DPP’s legislative caucus leader, said at a briefing Monday.

“There will be two violations of the constitution,” he added, citing both a procedural and substantive violation.

Protesters have dubbed their movement the “Blue Bird Action” — named after a road they occupied last week.