(Bloomberg) — Taiwanese lawmakers again voted to expand their powers to summon government officials, defying both protesters and President Lai Ching-te, who is now expected to ask the Constitutional Court to review the changes and suspend its implementation.
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About 1,000 protesters gathered outside the legislature during the vote. Organizers set up chairs, tents and air coolers on a clear, warm day in the capital. Lawmakers voted on several changes to the law after reviewing and discussing the changes since Wednesday, at Lai’s request.
The vote paves the way for more heated confrontations between Lai and opposition parties on the island, which is at the heart of tensions between China and the US. The opposition Kuomintang and its Taiwan People’s Party allies say they want to improve oversight of the executive branch and government officials. Critics say the changes represent a power grab that undermines the separation of powers and aims to derail the president’s agenda.
The constitutionality of the legislation is still a volatile debate, said Liao Dachi, professor emeritus at National Sun Yat-sen University’s Institute of Political Science. Still, she sees the amendments as effectively empowering lawmakers, as Taiwan’s legislature is significantly weaker in capacity compared to the executive branch – the presidency.
While the DPP made history this year by winning its third consecutive presidential election, it lost control of the legislature, and Friday’s vote shows that Lai could struggle to implement his agenda in the face of a hostile parliament. Earlier this week, he announced plans for new defense, health care and climate committees to push through his policies.
Still, markets in Taiwan are largely unfazed by the political confrontation. This benchmark for Taiex shares is set to gain more than 3.4% this week, extending all-time highs.
The Taiwan dollar is little changed this week, last trading at 32.360 against the greenback.
Opponents of the amendments took to the streets again this week for a three-day rally to coincide with lawmakers’ review of the legislation. The demonstrations have been peaceful and so far smaller in scale compared to protests when lawmakers first voted on the changes in May.
The government ensured that 500 police officers were stationed outside the legislature in case of conflict between supporters of different parties, the semi-official Central News Agency reported.
Citizens groups organizing the protest say the legal changes represent an overreach of legislative power and a backsliding on democracy, while DPP lawmaker Puma Shen says they could force companies under investigation to reveal trade secrets.
The KMT has accused the Lai government of waging political battles since his inauguration on May 20, and lawmaker Hung Mong-kai says the bill would help hold the president accountable for his policies.
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