People prepare to vote at a polling station in Taipei, Taiwan on Saturday —AP

Taipei: Taiwanese were voting on Saturday to determine whether to oust about one-fifth of their lawmakers, all from the opposition Nationa­list Party, in elections that could potentially reshape the power balance in the self-ruled island’s legislature.

The independence-leaning ruling Democratic Progress­ive Party won last year’s presidential election, but the China-friendly Nationalists, also known as the KMT, and the smaller Taiwan People’s Party have enough seats to form a majority bloc. Those who support removing 24 lawmakers are angry KMT and its allies have block­ed key legislation, especially the defence budget, and passed controversial changes seen as diminishing the power of the executive and favouring China, which considers the island its own territory. 

The opposition parties’ actions sparked concerns among some Taiwanese about the island’s democratic integrity and its ability to deter Chinese military threats, leading to the recall campaigns. The scale of the recall elections is unprecedented, with another 7 KMT lawmakers facing similar votes on Aug 23. But the KMT alleged the ruling party was resorting to political retaliation after it lost the legislative majority, saying the recalls were undermining and challenging Taiwan's democratic system.