Taiwan finally approved its long-stalled national budget, but watchdog and civic groups say the opposition-controlled legislature crippled the government to do it — a bad sign for how the state functions.

• The central government budget cleared its final vote after being held up for 351 days, the latest such passage on record.
• The KMT and TPP, who control the legislature, called it a big goodwill gesture, but critics call it a revenge-driven gutting of the budget meant to stop the government from functioning.
• Some cuts — like freezing the premier's salary — are called illegal and unconstitutional, an attack on the separation of powers that weakens the executive, courts, and other state bodies.
• The job is only half done: over NT$5 trillion in state-owned enterprise budgets still hasn't been approved.
• Bodies like the NCC and the Control Yuan are described as already paralyzed, with the constitutional court at risk next.

Outlook: The record-late passage is expected to throw next year's budget process into disarray, especially with lawmakers distracted by year-end elections.