Taiwan - May 2024

On 28 May, Taiwanese legislators passed a package of controversial reforms expanding the parliament’s power to scrutinize the incoming government. The reforms allow lawmakers to request information from various entities, criminalize ‘contempt of parliament’ by officials, and require the president to provide regular reports and answer lawmakers’ questions (a first for Taiwan) or face fines. The opposition Kuomintang (中國國民黨) (KMT) and Taiwan’s People’s Party (台灣民眾黨) (TPP) used their combined majority to push forward the bills just days before President Lai Chin-te’s inauguration, arguing that the bills would ensure checks and balances and allow the legislature to target corruption. Civil society, academics and legal scholars argue that the vague and overreaching amendments could be misused for partisan vendettas and compromise national security. Since 17 May, thousands of people have gathered outside the parliament to protest the reforms peacefully. Critics say the amendments were rushed through the legislature without proper deliberation. The bills do not take immediate effect and still require approval from the president and the Executive Yuan. The Democratic Progressive Party (民主進步黨) (DPP) will seek a Constitutional Court ruling on the legality of the passed reforms and will send the bills back to the Legislative Yuan for reconsideration.

Update: On 25 October, Taiwan’s Constitutional Court invalidated key parts of these bills. The Court found that the reforms were passed in a rushed and flawed manner and that some provisions, including those allowing lawmakers to demand information and criminalize contempt of parliament through fines and jail time, violated the Constitution. 

Sources: Focus Taiwan, Al Jazeera, ABC News, The Financial Times, Reuters (1),  Taipei Times, Reuters (2)