Recall results will be released Saturday night. Analysts said if the DPP gets control of the purse strings, even if only for a few months, it is likely to reverse the budget cuts and increase defence spending.
Whatever the outcome, though, analyst Lev Nachman said political divisions in Taiwan were certain to deepen.
“The way that the recalls have played out has been perhaps some of the most divisive language used towards both camps that I think I’ve ever seen,” Nachman, a political scientist and longtime observer of Taiwan, told AFP.
CHINA LOOMS LARGE
In recent months, KMT chairman Eric Chu has compared Lai’s government to Hitler’s Nazi regime, while Lai has spoken of “removing impurities” to defend Taiwan’s sovereignty.
Beijing has loomed large over the recall vote, with Taipei warning of “visible evidence” that China was trying to interfere in the process.
The KMT’s ties with Beijing and frequent visits by its lawmakers to China have raised concerns among critics over Chinese influence on the party.
But the KMT rejects accusations that it is beholden to Beijing.
Communist China has never ruled Taiwan, but Beijing claims the island is part of its territory and has threatened to use force to bring it under its control.
For a KMT lawmaker to lose their seat, the number of votes in favour of recalling them must exceed those against and also be more than 25 per cent of the total number of registered voters in the electorate.
