On 21st January 2025, Legislative Yuan of Taiwan (the Republic of China; ROC) pass third reading of the 2025 government’s general budget plan, which cut 6.64% of the budget, reaching new historic high, that is 207.5 billon TWD (approximately 5 million GBP), in addition to the 260 billion TWD of budget freezing.[1] It includes cutting 96% and freezing the rest of the budget for the general operating expense of the Control Yuan [2], which severely impacts its operations.[3]
A 3 trillion NTD 2025 general budget plan was first proposed by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)-controlled Executive Yuan, and was rejected by the Kuomintang(KMT)-Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) alliance-controlled Legislative Yuan on 23rd September 2024. [4]
After more than 3 months of disputes and consultations among the parties, the third reading of the drastically revised general budget plan was passed without sufficient consensus between the ruling and the opposition party on 21st January 2025 and the final version was submitted on 19th February 2025.
On the 21st February 2025, the Control Yuan announced that they it would petition the Constitutional Court against the budget cuts, arguing that the unreasonable reductions severely impact public interest and safety, while also infringing on the basic rights of minorities and civil servants. Additionally, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) under the Control Yuan has been affected due to decreased financial independence and authority stability, violating the Paris Principle on human rights institutions.
However, just months earlier, the Legislative Yuan has passed the amendment of the Constitutional Court Procedure Act, changing “the calculation of the number of Grand Justices required to make judgments and rulings from the current total to the statutory total (15)”, under the context of 7 Grand Justices retired on the 31st October 2024. [5] The Legislative Yuan has delayed the confirmation process for the new Justice candidates nominated by President Lai and has vetoed all of the candidates later. As a result, just 8 Grand Justices are remaining right now. The amendment officially took effect on 25th January 2025, which means the Constitutional Court was paralysed and can no longer make any constitutional reviews.
This blockage has not only prevented the Control Yuan from challenging the budget cuts but also weakened constitutional protections for human rights. For instance, the amendment of the Public officials Election And Recall Act has raised the concern of undermining political rights of civilians by adding the proof of identity requirements during the petitions, which may infringe on privacy. These amendments also make it more difficult to advance to the voting stage, and even when cases do proceed, only 3 out of 7 recall attempts have been successful since the 2016 amendment.
Simmer from discontent on the bill of expanding parliamentarians’ powers, the civil society currently started the propose to recall wave on legislators and mayors of KMT and TPP before the new Public Officials Election And Recall Act takes effect, while some of the DPP’s legislators and mayors was also being propose to recall as a countermeasure of KMT’s and TPP’s supporters.
To protect Taiwan’s fundamental rights and prevent the erosion of its human rights institutions, international solidarity is crucial. The people of Taiwan are fighting to defend their democratic freedoms against political manoeuvres that undermine accountability and human rights protections. Activists Without Borders urges you to stand with them—share their struggle, amplify their voices, and demand global attention on these urgent threats. Injustice thrives in silence; let’s ensure their fight for rights and democracy is heard loud and clear.
