Video: Taiwan lawmaker snatches bill, runs off with it to halt passage

Chaotic scenes surfaced in the Taiwan parliament on Friday as lawmakers engaged in physical altercations over proposed chamber reforms. The altercations took place shortly before president-elect Lai Ching-te assumed office without a legislative majority.

What is the flashpoint?

The opposition aims to grant parliament more power to oversee the government, including a controversial plan to criminalise officials for making false statements in parliament.

During an all-out brawl, a member of Taiwan's parliament expressed discontent in a unique way as he took away a bill and ran off to prevent its passage.

DPP lawmaker Kuo Kuo-wen snatched the bill documents and fled to disrupt the proceedings, reported Focus Taiwan.

Several lawmakers were taken to the hospital after the day-long scuffle at the legislature. Around midnight, the review of several controversial parliamentary reform bills, article by article, was stopped until May 21.

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Watch Taiwan lawmaker's ‘run with bill’ act here

Lai has no majority

Lai, set to become president on Monday, won the January election, but his Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lost its majority in parliament.

The main opposition, the Kuomintang (KMT), has more seats than the DPP but not enough for a majority, so it's collaborating with the small Taiwan People's Party (TPP).

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Slugfest over parliament reform

The DPP accuses the KMT and TPP of rushing the proposals without proper consultation, calling it an unconstitutional abuse of power.

"We oppose this because we want discussions, not one-sided decisions," said DPP lawmaker Wang Mei-hui.

KMT's Jessica Chen said the reforms aim to enhance legislative oversight of the executive branch, adding that the DPP wants to maintain its grip on power.

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Taiwan parliament is not new to brawls

In 2020, KMT lawmakers tossed pig guts onto the floor during a dispute over US pork imports.

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