On February 20, 2025, the amendment of the Republic of China Recall Election Law for Public Officials came into effect. The Central Election Commission (CEC) announced on February 19 that they had received a total of 64 recall cases, with 54 cases involving legislators, which are still subject to the previous rules. Starting from February 20, new submissions will be subject to the regulations of the amended law.
The CEC stated that the Legislative Yuan passed the amendment to the Recall Election Law for Public Officials on December 20, 2024, and it was officially implemented on the 18th of February. This legal amendment includes new requirements for proposers and endorsers to provide copies of both sides of their national identification card when submitting proposals and endorsements. The CEC has updated the “Operational Procedures for Proposing and Endorsing Recall Cases of Public Officials” in compliance with this amendment.
In response to the new law, the CEC has made changes to the operational procedures for proposing and endorsing recall cases, stating that proposer and endorser lists without copies of both sides of national ID cards will not be accepted. Additionally, unclear or illegible copies of national ID cards that prevent identification must be removed from the lists.
The updated procedures also include a requirement to attach copies of both sides of the national ID card to proposer and endorser lists. These revised regulations have been uploaded to the CEC’s “Download Recall Election Forms” section on their website.
According to the CEC, any public official recall cases submitted after the implementation date of the amendment will be subject to the new legal provisions. Cases submitted before the implementation date will still follow the previous regulations.
Furthermore, the amended Recall Election Law now includes a provision for a prison sentence of up to 5 years for individuals who forge or falsify proposals or endorsements using others’ personal information. The public is reminded to abide by these legal provisions to avoid breaking the law.
The CEC’s statistics show that from February 3 to 5:30 pm on February 19, a total of 64 recall cases were submitted, including 54 cases involving the recall of legislators (some cases may target the same individual or have been resubmitted after rejection), 1 case involving the recall of a city/county mayor, and 9 cases involving the recall of city/county councilors.
According to data from recall groups across Taiwan, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) or independent legislators targeted for recall include names such as Wang Hongwei, Li Yanshu, Ye Yuanzhi, Niu Xuting, Tu Quanji, Lu Mingzhe, Wan Meiling, Lu Yuling, Qiu Ruohua, Zheng Zhengqian, Youhao, Ma Wenjun, Yan Kuangheng, Liao Weixiang, Huang Jianhao, Luo Tingwei, Ding Xuezhi, Huang Jianbin, Fu Kunqi, Lin Defu, Zhang Zhilun, Yang Qiongying, Hong Mengkai, Luo Mingcai, Luo Zhijiang, Xu Qiaoxin, Lai Shibao, Liao Xianxiang, Xu Xinying, Lin Siming, Jiang Qichen, Xie Yifeng, Chen Chaoming, Qiu Zhenjun, Lin Peixiang.
Additionally, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators facing recall proposals include Wu Siyao, Wu Peiyi, Su Qiaohui, Wu Qiming, Li Kuncheng, Zhang Honglu, Huang Jie, Xu Zhijie, Lin Junxian, and Chen Junyu.
Other officials targeted for recall include DPP members Zhang Zhihao and Zheng Wenting, as well as DPP Keelung City Councilor Chen Yuling and Nantou County DPP Councilors Chen Yuling and Cai Mingxuan. Furthermore, the currently suspended mayor of Hsinchu City, Ko Hung-an, has also been targeted for recall.