Amid kicks, punches and a full-scale brawl inside Taiwan's parliament, a politician stole a bill “with the speed of an American football player” and blocked its passage. The incident occurred Friday as the country's highest legislative body was considering giving the government more powers. The brawl occurred just after the people elected Seitoku Lai as the next new leader. The island nation's opposition parties are rallying behind a parliamentary movement calling for more oversight of the government.
The members ran through a group of angry leaders who were involved in a scuffle.
Amid kicks, punches and a full-scale brawl inside Taiwan's parliament, a politician stole a bill “with the speed of an American football player” and blocked its passage. The incident occurred Friday as the country's highest legislative body was considering giving the government more powers. The brawl occurred just after the people elected Seitoku Lai as the next new leader. The island nation's opposition parties are rallying behind a parliamentary movement calling for more oversight of the government.
Another Taiwanese politician and lawmaker was also severely assaulted and admitted to a local hospital with head injuries. Punches were thrown and the room's curtains torn during the scuffle, which was caught on camera. Opposition parties led by the Kuomintang Party (KMT) are opposing the newly elected government, which is seeking to force a vote on a bill that would impose penalties on officials found in the Legislative Yuan.
Fights in Taiwan's legislature are common, but Friday's fight was widely shared on social media as a demonstration of fighting in the legislature. The members seen on video performing the swift action have not been identified. Lawmakers took to the benches as the process of inaugurating newly elected leaders with the president's inauguration continued.
William Lai Ching-de is scheduled to take the oath as Taiwan's president on Monday. Lai won an overwhelming victory over former President Tsai Ing-wen. But his Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has lost seats, posing a challenge for incumbent Chinte, who is expected to lead a minority government.
