The recall vote of Keelung Mayor Hsieh Kuo-liang (謝國樑) moves on to the second phase this Saturday. Hsieh came under scrutiny due to allegations of mismanagement and decisions that would transfer the proprietorship of Keelung E-Square Mall from NET Fashion Development Corp. to the Breeze Group.
An advocacy group called the “Shanhai citizen’s movement to remove Liang” initiated the recall, which passed the 3,080 proposal threshold on May 3. The group held a press conference at the Legislature on Friday, where group representative Tai Ching-an (戴璟安) announced the group’s goal of 50,000 signatures.
According to the Public Officials Election and Recall Act, the number of joint signers must reach more than 10% of the original voting population to pass the second phase. There were 307,913 voters during the 2022 election, so the second phase requires 30,792 signatures. If the target is met, the recall would need to pass the final third phase before it would go into effect.
Spokesperson Li Yen-jung (李晏蓉) said that in addition to online exposure, the group will also focus on in-person events. Li pointed out that the voices of many elderly people in the Keelung area have fallen silent as their needs are ignored, and encourages the public to provide a space in each administrative district that can facilitate signing.