A global democracy report says Taiwan's legislature got much better at holding the government to account, and the opposition KMT is using it to push back on claims that it has overstepped — good news for the KMT, bad news for the ruling DPP.

• The Stockholm-based International IDEA "Global State of Democracy 2026" report says Taiwan's "Effective Parliament" score improved sharply between 2020 and 2025, one of only 13 countries out of 174 to do so.
• The KMT says this proves strong oversight of the government is not democratic backsliding, but the normal job of a legislature.
• The KMT became the largest party in parliament in 2024 and has since clashed repeatedly with the DPP government over the limits of legislative power.
• The KMT accuses Premier Cho Jung-tai of branding oversight as a "power grab," labeling unwanted resolutions unconstitutional, and refusing to countersign laws already passed.
• KMT lawmaker Lee Yen-hsiu says the report also makes last year's mass recall campaign against opposition legislators look foolish internationally.

Outlook: The KMT will keep citing the report to justify tough oversight and plans to promote its record abroad, so the standoff between parliament and the DPP-led cabinet is likely to continue.