Taiwan’s opposition lawmakers escalated a constitutional standoff on December 18 and 19, initiating impeachment proceedings against both President Lai Ching-te and Premier Cho Jung-tai over the government’s unprecedented refusal to enforce legislation passed by parliament.
The crisis erupted after Premier Cho declined to countersign the Act Governing the Allocation of Government Revenues and Expenditures on Monday, marking the first time in Taiwan’s history that the Executive Yuan has refused to countersign legislation passed by the Legislative Yuan. President Lai subsequently did not promulgate the law, citing constitutional concerns.
On Thursday, the Legislative Yuan’s Judiciary and Organic Laws Committee voted to urge the Control Yuan—Taiwan’s highest government supervisory body—to impeach Premier Cho. The following day, opposition legislators from the Kuomintang and Taiwan People’s Party held a press conference displaying a large impeachment document and announcing plans to seek President Lai’s removal. They displayed a poster depicting Lai in the garb of an early 20th-century warlord, comparing him to Yuan Shikai, who undermined parliamentary authority during China’s Republican era.
Constitutional Clash Over Revenue Law
The government defended its refusal by arguing the revenue-sharing law contains three constitutional violations: it infringes on executive authority in breach of separation of powers, was pushed through in a “sudden attack-style vote” without proper deliberation, and would force the central government to borrow NT$266.4 billion (US$8.46 billion), exceeding the Public Debt Act ceiling.
Opposition lawmakers countered that Article 37 of the Constitution, which requires the premier’s countersignature, serves as a check on presidential authority, not a veto mechanism. “Never has there been a president who has gone so far as to refuse to promulgate a law passed by the Legislature,” said TPP leader Huang Kuo-chang at Friday’s press conference.
Limited Paths Forward
While the opposition launched an online petition that gathered over 2 million signatures within 18 hours, the impeachment effort faces significant obstacles. The opposition controls 62 of the Legislative Yuan’s 113 seats—enough for a simple majority but short of the two-thirds required to impeach the president. Even if impeachment proceedings advanced, Taiwan’s Constitutional Court has been paralyzed since January 2025 due to opposition-passed amendments requiring 10 justices to hear cases, though only eight are currently seated.
The opposition could instead pursue a no-confidence vote against Premier Cho, which would allow President Lai to dissolve the legislature and call snap elections within 60 days. However, opposition lawmakers have signaled reluctance to trigger such a scenario, which could give the ruling Democratic Progressive Party an opportunity to regain its legislative majority. On Friday, the opposition used its majority to extend the legislative session until January 31, 2026.
