TPP caucus passes censure motion against Cho Jung-tai in Legislative Yuan over Executive Yuan's refusal to countersign children and youth account bill

Aug 20, 2026

Taiwan's confrontation between the executive and legislative branches has escalated once again, with the legislature's majority parties joining forces to censure the premier — clear political pressure on the Lai Ching-te administration.

  • Premier Cho Jung-tai has refused to countersign bills passed on third reading by the Legislative Yuan, including the "Children and Youth Future Account" bill and amendments to the Cable Radio and Television Act.
  • The Taiwan People's Party caucus introduced a censure motion, which the KMT-TPP bloc passed on the strength of its numbers and sent directly to a second reading, with subsequent cross-caucus negotiations to follow.
  • Opposition parties accuse the government of using "non-countersignature" as a political tool to kill legislation, effectively overriding the will of the legislative majority.
  • The DPP caucus opposed the motion, while the Executive Yuan maintains that refusing to countersign is a means of upholding constitutional order and fiscal discipline.
  • The censure motion calls on the administration to immediately halt its practice of "not countersigning, not promulgating, not implementing" and to return to basic constitutional order.

Outlook: The censure motion itself carries no legal force, and the deadlock between the ruling and opposition camps is not expected to be resolved in the short term. Whether the bills can take effect remains the focal point of the constitutional dispute.

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