Inside Taiwan’s ‘Symbolic’ Impeachment Bid Against President Lai

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

  • The opposition Kuomintang (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) have launched impeachment proceedings against President William Lai and Premier Cho Jung-tai, despite lacking the votes to remove them.
  • The move is widely seen as a symbolic, political protest meant to embarrass the president and highlight deadlock between the executive and the legislature.
  • Deep partisan polarisation and a divided government have stalled key priorities, including parts of the 2026 budget and a proposed $40bn defence spending package.
  • The fight underscores broader concerns about Taiwan’s institutional stability, constitutional court paralysis, and long-term democratic resilience.

Table of Contents

Political Background: How Taiwan Reached This Point

Taiwan is in the middle of its second major era of divided government. President William Lai, from the centre-left Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), won an unprecedented third consecutive presidential term for his party in 2024. But while the DPP kept the presidency, it lost its majority in the legislature.

This created a classic power split:

  • Executive branch: President Lai and Premier Cho Jung-tai (DPP)
  • Legislature: Dominated by opposition parties, mainly the KMT and TPP, backed by a couple of independents

Since then, Taiwan’s parliament has been locked in intense disputes over:

  • Budget allocations and tax revenue sharing
  • The island’s stance and strategy toward China
  • The composition and functioning of the Constitutional Court, which has been largely frozen by the standoff

Experts like Yen-tu Su of Academia Sinica argue this phase of divided government is much uglier, and much more difficult than the 2000–2008 period, largely due to deeper partisan polarisation.

Why the Opposition Is Pushing a ‘Symbolic’ Impeachment

On December 26, 2025, legislators from the KMT, the TPP, and two independents initiated impeachment proceedings against both President Lai and Premier Cho. Under Taiwan’s system, impeachment requires a two-thirds majority vote in the legislature before heading to the Constitutional Court.

Currently, the opposition does not have the numbers to cross that threshold. Analysts therefore see this primarily as a strategic, image-driven move rather than a realistic bid to remove the president.

According to Su, the opposition wants to:

  • Formally record that Lai is the first president ever considered for impeachment in Taiwan’s democratic history
  • Humiliate the president and signal displeasure with his leadership
  • Retaliate against the executive branch for refusing to promulgate certain opposition-backed laws

Commentator Brian Hioe describes the move as largely a stunt designed to grab attention and energise core KMT and TPP supporters by framing Lai as undermining democratic institutions.

Legislative Paralysis and Budget Battles

Behind the impeachment drama lies a more practical concern: governance gridlock. The divided government has stalled critical policy initiatives, including:

  • 2026 Budget: Lai’s administration is still trying to pass key components, limiting policy implementation and long-term planning.
  • $40bn defence spending bill: A flagship proposal by Lai to significantly bolster Taiwan’s defence has been blocked by the KMT, despite regional security tensions.
  • Tax revenue-sharing reform: Premier Cho recently vetoed a legislative bill aimed at making it easier to allocate tax revenue between local and central governments, arguing it was not feasible in practice.

The result is a political environment where high-profile clashes overshadow long-term governance. The Constitutional Court itself has been paralysed for much of the year, hampering its ability to resolve disputes between branches of government—exactly when it is most needed.

What This Impeachment Fight Means for Taiwan’s Democracy

For observers of global democracy, Taiwan’s impeachment episode is a valuable case study in how polarisation stresses institutions even in relatively mature democracies.

Key implications include:

  • Normalisation of symbolic warfare: Impeachment, once a last-resort constitutional tool, is being leveraged as a political message rather than a strictly legal remedy.
  • Executive–legislative distrust: Refusals to promulgate legislation and high-profile vetoes deepen mistrust and encourage more confrontational tactics.
  • Judicial deadlock risk: With the Constitutional Court’s work largely frozen, constitutional conflicts may lack clear, legitimate resolution channels.

At the same time, the very fact that these struggles are happening through formal procedures—votes, vetoes, court appeals—also shows that institutional frameworks still anchor political conflict. The core question is whether those institutions can adapt and remain credible under rising partisan pressure.

What to Watch Next: Practical Takeaways for Readers

If you follow Taiwan, East Asia, or democratic resilience more broadly, this impeachment push offers several practical angles to watch:

  • Impeachment vote on May 19: Track whether any lawmakers break ranks. Even if it fails—as expected—the margin and rhetoric will signal how far polarisation has advanced.
  • Budget compromises (or lack thereof): Watch for partial deals on the 2026 budget and whether defence spending becomes more bipartisan as regional security risks evolve.
  • Reactivation of the Constitutional Court: Any movement to unblock appointments or restart its work will be a key indicator of institutional recovery.

To go deeper, consider pairing this story with:

  • Analyses of Taiwan’s first period of divided government (2000–2008) for historical comparison.
  • Studies of how other presidential or semi-presidential democracies handle impeachment and gridlock.

For readers who care about the future of democratic systems, Taiwan’s current turbulence is less about one leader and more about how institutions hold up under sustained partisan strain.

Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/12/26/taiwans-opposition-launches-symbolic-campaign-to-impeach-president