The vote has coincided with efforts by Beijing to raise its military and diplomatic pressure on Taiwan. China has for decades claimed sovereignty over Taiwan and has never renounced the possible use of force to annex the self-governing island and unify it with the Chinese mainland.

Responding to the outcome, Chen Binhua, a spokesman for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, said the DPP, driven by its pursuit of "Taiwan independence" and avarice for one-party monopoly, repeatedly stirred up political strife at the expense of Taiwan people's well-being.

On July 26, Taiwan will set a new record for a developed democracy, holding recall referendums for 24 opposition legislators as well as one opposition mayor. This is nothing to be proud of; the mass recalls of more than a fifth of Taiwan’s legislature are the latest sign of a political crisis that has largely gone unnoticed internationally.