(Bloomberg) — Taiwan’s lawmakers voted again to expand their powers to summon public officials, defying both protesters and President Lai Ching-te, who is now expected to ask the Constitutional Court to review the changes and suspend their 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 hot, sunny day in the capital. Lawmakers voted on several legislative changes after having – at Lai’s request – reviewed and debated the changes since Wednesday.
The vote sets the stage for more turbulent clashes between Lai and opposition parties on the island, at the center of China-US tensions. The opposition Kuomintang and its allies in the Taiwan People’s Party say they want to improve scrutiny of the executive and public officials. Critics argue that the changes represent a power grab that undermines the separation of powers and aim to derail the president’s agenda.
The constitutionality of the legislation is still an uncertain debate, according to Liao Dachi, professor emeritus at the Institute of Political Science at National Sun Yat-sen University. Still, she considers that the amendments effectively empower lawmakers, as the legislative branch in Taiwan has been significantly weaker in capacity compared to the executive branch – the presidency.
Although 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 may have difficulty implementing his agenda in the face of a hostile parliament. Earlier this week, he announced plans for new defense, health and climate committees to help implement his policies.
Still, markets in Taiwan were largely unfazed by the political confrontation. That benchmark Taiex stock is set for a gain of more than 3.4% this week, extending its record high.
The Taiwan dollar remained little changed during the week, last trading at 32.360 against the greenback.
Opponents of the changes this week took to the streets again for a three-day rally to coincide with lawmakers’ review of the legislation. The demonstrations have been peaceful and, so far, on a smaller scale compared to the protests when lawmakers first voted on the changes in May.
The government arranged for 500 police officers to be stationed outside the legislature in case of conflict between supporters of different parties, the semi-official Central News Agency reported.
Civic groups organizing the protest say the legal changes represent an overreach by the legislature and a democratic backslide, while DPP lawmaker Puma Shen says they could force companies being investigated to divulge trade secrets.
The KMT has accused the Lai government of conducting political infighting since taking office on May 20, and lawmaker Hung Mong-kai says the bill would help hold the president accountable for his policies.
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