Gridlock: Premier Refuses to Countersign Bill, Opposition Raises Impeachment
On December 15, Taiwan Premier Cho Jung-tai of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) announced that the Cabinet would not countersign a tax revenue amendment passed by the opposition-controlled legislature. In response, the opposition Kuomintang (KMT) and their junior coalition partner, the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), announced their intention to impeach President Lai Ching-te. It is just the latest in a series of governing crises that Taiwan has faced since the 2024 presidential and legislative elections resulted in a divided government. Is Taiwan in the midst of an unprecedented constitutional crisis? Could the president be impeached? And what is the path out of this deadlock? In this episode, we discuss these latest developments and the path ahead for Taiwan’s democracy. Our guests: Chen Fang-yu - Soochow University Political Science Assistant Professor Courtney Donovan Smith - Political analyst specializing in Taiwanese politics and geopolitics
