Impeachment motion against Taiwanese leader Lai fails

An impeachment motion against Taiwanese leader William Lai failed on Tuesday, marking the first presidential impeachment vote in the island’s constitutional history, local media reported.

The motion failed to secure the required two-thirds majority in the 113-seat Legislative Yuan, with 56 lawmakers voting in favor and 50 against, according to Taipei Times. Seven lawmakers did not collect ballots.

The impeachment proceedings were launched by the opposition Kuomintang (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party after Premier Cho Jung-tai refused to countersign opposition-backed amendments related to government revenue allocation laws.

The opposition parties used their combined parliamentary majority to initiate impeachment proceedings in December last year. The vote came a day before Lai’s second anniversary in office.

Under Taiwan’s constitutional rules, impeachment of a president requires approval from at least 76 lawmakers before being referred to the Constitutional Court for further review.