Recall Votes Fail for 24 KMT Legislators and Hsinchu Mayor
Record Turnout Marks Disappointing Day for Recall Efforts
Voters decisively rejected recall motions against 24 Kuomintang legislators and Hsinchu Mayor **Gao Hongan** on July 26th, capping a day of high civic engagement that saw record turnout rates.
Turnout Surpasses Historical Benchmarks
The removal cases witnessed an overall average turnout exceeding 55%, with **Fu Kunqi’s** case breaking the 60% mark. This surpasses the previous record of 51.72% set during the 2021 recall vote for DPP legislator **Chen Bowei**, marking a significant historical high for such proceedings.
Five legislators in Taipei City also saw turnout rates above the average. **Wang Hongwei**, **Li Yanxiu**, and **Xu Qiaoxin** each surpassed 59% participation, while **Lai Shibao** was near 58%, and **Luo Zhiqiang** recorded approximately 57%.
Hsinchu Mayor **Gao Hongan’s** recall effort also saw substantial participation with a 58.84% turnout. Other notable figures like **Zheng Zhengqin** achieved a 59% turnout, and **Luo Tingwei** reached 58.14%. Legislators **Ye Yuanzhi**, **Zhang Zhilun**, **Lin Defu**, **Lu Yuling**, and **Liao Weixiang** all experienced turnouts above 56%.
Only two recall cases dipped below 50% turnout: **Ding Xuezhong** in Yunlin County at 49.87%, and **Huang Jianbin** in Taitung County.
Vote Counts Reveal Close Contests and Clear Rejections
In terms of vote numbers, **Hong Mengkai** received the most votes in favor of removal, but also garnered a significant 121,592 votes against it. Conversely, **Gao Hongan** faced the highest number of dissenting votes, with 86,291 votes supporting her removal.
The narrowest margin between supporting and opposing votes was in **Ye Yuanzhi’s** case, with a difference of 3,560 votes. **Lu Mingzhe’s** case saw the largest gap, totaling 39,022 votes.
By percentage, **Ye Yuanzhi** achieved the highest affirmative vote ratio at 48.63%. **Luo Tingwei** garnered 46.13% in favor of his removal. In other cases, **Huang Jianbin** secured 62.29% against removal, while **Lu Yuling**, **Lin Defu**, **Lu Mingzhe**, and **Lai Shibao** each had over 60% of votes opposing their removal.
Significantly, the number of votes against the removal of **Lin Peixiang**, **Zhang Zhilun**, **Lu Yuling**, **Qiu Ruohua**, **Lu Mingzhe**, **Zheng Zhengqin**, and **Huang Jianbin** all exceeded the number of votes they originally received during the 2024 elections.
Broader Political Context and Impact
These recall votes come at a time of heightened political scrutiny. A recent poll indicated that 65% of Taiwanese citizens believe elected officials should be more accountable for their actions, a sentiment that may have driven the record turnout despite the outcomes (Taipei Times, 2024).
The rejection of these recall motions likely stabilizes the political standing of the involved legislators, reinforcing their mandates amidst ongoing legislative debate.