Taiwan Recall Votes and KMT-DPP Legislature Fights — 2026-09-23
President Lai Ching-te formally promulgated the 2026 central government budget on September 18 — some 351 days after its submission — adding an unusual written directive that the legislature should not have cut or frozen personnel expenses, igniting a fresh round of KMT–TPP attacks. The TPP caucus struck back on September 22, and the supplementary budget for CPC Corp now looms as the next battlefield as the new session opens.
Taiwan Recall Votes and KMT-DPP Legislature Fights — 2026-09-23
Top developments
Lai promulgates 2026 budget with directive blasting personnel cuts
On September 18, President Lai Ching-te officially published the 2026 fiscal-year central government budget, ending a promulgation delay of more than 350 days after the Legislative Yuan's third reading. The Presidential Office quoted Lai's directive stating that personnel costs are legally mandated expenditures protected by the Constitution's guarantee of public-service work rights, and that the legislature "should not cut or freeze" them. Opposition figures reacted angrily, with critics branding the move as an overreach — some calling it a "太上皇" (emperor-above-the-law) gesture.
The promulgation came after the budget had sat in the legislature for over a month post-third-reading, during which the DPP caucus accused the opposition of stalling; the legislature then "hurriedly" sent the bill out.
TPP caucus fires back: Executive Yuan's budget is "selective and deceptive"
On September 22, the TPP legislative caucus, at a press conference presenting its priority bills for the new (sixth) session under the slogan "protect livelihoods, secure transport, save birth rates, demand dignity," blasted the President's directive on personnel funding, accusing the Executive Yuan of "selective budgeting" that "deceives the world" (欺世盜名). The clash signals personnel-expense freezes will be a flashpoint as the new session begins.
Supplementary budget showdown over CPC bailout bills up next
As of September 16, Mirror Media reported the budget bill was expected to be sent out that week, with Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu ruling it could be delivered before the session opens. The next major fight is the Cabinet's NT$607.63 billion (US$13.19/19.13 billion) supplementary budget, which KMT and TPP caucuses have vowed to scrutinize strictly, calling the massive bailout for state oil firm CPC Corp, Taiwan "illegal."
Local view
Chinese-language media framed the promulgation fight in sharply partisan terms: China Times highlighted Lai's directive "naming the Legislative Yuan" as improper (點名立法院); Liberty Times (via Yahoo/others) stressed the "351 days" delay under the "blue-white" (KMT-TPP) majority; and Liberty Times/Nownews covered the TPP's "欺世盜名" counterattack. With the November 28 county-mayor election approaching and a legal publication ban on polls from November 18, coverage is increasingly connecting the budget fights to local election positioning.
Context & numbers
- The 2026 budget, third-read on August 14, totaled NT$2.9869 trillion (US$93 billion) including NT$63.4 billion in drone spending, after a record 266-day delay; the opposition's across-the-board cut was NT$48 billion (1.689% of the original NT$3.0349 trillion expenditure), and a KMT proposal froze Premier Cho Jung-tai's September–December salary (NT$1.488 million)
- From promulgation delay markers this week: 351 days from submission to presidential promulgation
- The pending supplementary budget stands at NT$607.63 billion
- The 2026 local elections: voting on November 28, 2026; poll publication banned from November 18
On the radar
- The supplementary budget review for the CPC Corp bailout — the KMT-TPP bloc has pledged strict scrutiny and has demanded promulgation of related opposition-backed measures as leverage
- Possible legal/political fallout over the President's budget directive on personnel funding, which TPP argues intrudes on the legislature's budget power
- November 28, 2026 county-mayor elections, where the budget-fight atmosphere will shape party fortunes
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