Taiwan’s Political Deadlock Between Ruling Administration and Opposition

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Taiwan is facing a rare political crisis after the executive branch refused to enact amendments to a government spending law passed by the opposition-controlled legislature, underscoring domestic divisions as the island confronts escalating military pressure and coercion from China.

The administration of President Lai Ching-te has said the amendments undermine fiscal sustainability and were drafted without proper consultation. Under the amendments, Taiwan’s central government would be required to allocate a larger share of its revenue to the local governments.

The opposition, which has called Lai a “dictator” over his decision not to promulgate the amendments, has said it will start impeachment proceedings against him in the island’s legislature on Dec. 26.

The opposition has also filed a request to the Control Yuan, Taiwan’s top government watchdog, to initiate an investigation and consider impeaching Taiwanese Premier Cho Jung-tai, who has refused to countersign the amendments.

Under Taiwan’s Constitution, the premier must countersign legislation before the president can promulgate it into law.

Despite the presidential election victory, the DPP lost its majority in the legislature to the KMT and its much smaller ally, the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), after legislative elections held on the same day as the presidential election.

The DPP won 51 seats in the 113-seat legislature, while the KMT picked up 52 seats and the TPP 8 seats.

By holding the presidency, the DPP also runs Taiwan’s government.

Since the 2024 elections, the opposition has used its majority to block or stymie key government proposals, including the budget, while pushing its own agenda, resulting in repeated deadlock between the executive and legislature.

Both the DPP and the opposition have accused the other of breaching the constitution in the ongoing spending dispute.

Even if it were to pass, which is a highly unlikely outcome, the measure would still require a ruling from the Constitutional Court, which has been largely brought to a standstill because of a separate dispute between the Lai administration and the opposition over the appointment of new judges.

Currently, the 15-seat court has eight justices after seven completed their terms in late 2024, and the opposition has rejected nominations to fill the vacancies.

The court now requires a minimum of 10 justices to hear and rule on a case, after new legislative amendments took effect in January.

There is also a possible scenario where the opposition could pass a motion of no confidence against Cho. If the motion is passed, Lai would have the option of dissolving the legislature within 10 days, with new legislative elections to take place within 60 days.

The Chinese communist regime sees Taiwan as a part of its territory, and has not ruled out the use of military force to seize the island. The regime considers Lai as a “separatist” for his outspoken defense of Taiwan’s sovereignty.

The Lai administration and the opposition are also at loggerheads over the new military spending. On Dec. 23, the opposition blocked talks on the defense budget bill for the fourth time.

Although the upcoming elections mostly focus on local issues, they are widely seen as a key indicator of party support ahead of Taiwan’s presidential and legislative elections in early 2028.