Taiwan's legislative speaker Han Kuo-yu is under fire for turning the island's National Day ceremony into a platform for attacking the ruling party, deepening a standoff between the opposition-led legislature and the government.

• Han used the National Day stage to accuse the ruling team of "political hunting" and running a "fake democracy, real dictatorship."
• Ruling-party figures called it embarrassing, saying he went off script in front of foreign guests and diplomats at a national celebration.
• Han brushed off the backlash with a joke about being smeared, and swung into campaigning for Taipei mayor Chiang Wan-an ahead of local elections.
• Chiang defended the speech as honest advice from the head of parliament, and urged the government to stop widening the constitutional crisis by refusing to countersign or carry out laws.

Outlook: The fight over the legislature's powers and the government's refusal to enact its bills will keep escalating as Taiwan heads into local election season.