Voters in Taiwan once again rejected an effort by President Lai Ching-te¡¯s party to flip parliament, a setback that could deepen political deadlock and complicate the island¡¯s push to ramp up defense spending against rising pressure from Beijing.

None of the seven opposition Kuomintang (KMT) legislators targeted in Saturday¡¯s second round of recall elections were removed, according to the Central News Agency. The result allows the KMT to maintain its joint majority in the legislature in collaboration with the smaller Taiwan People¡¯s Party.

The outcome follows a July vote in which 24 KMT lawmakers also survived recall motions, dealing the ruling Democratic Progressive Party a heavy defeat. The recall campaigns, unprecedented in scale, were initiated by civic groups that accused the KMT of colluding with China and undermining national security, allegations the party denies.

Analysts have attributed the defeat to voter fatigue with Lai¡¯s focus on Taiwan¡¯s complex ties with China, instead of a greater focus on livelihood issues. The outcome of the second round of recall votes was widely expected, as all main parties showed less effort to mobilize supporters this time.

The failure of the recall drive means the opposition is likely to press ahead with challenges to Lai¡¯s agenda. Key flash points include the government¡¯s budget for 2026, defense spending and judicial appointments.

On Thursday, the Cabinet proposed a 949.5 billion new Taiwan dollar ($31.1 billion) military budget for next year, a 23% jump from 2025. If passed, defense expenditure would climb to 3.32% of gross domestic product, surpassing the target pledged by Lai.

But with the legislature under opposition control, the proposal is likely to face wrangling and drawn-out negotiations, as had been the case since Lai took office last year.

The recall votes coincided with a referendum on whether Taiwan should reinstate nuclear power, following the closure of the chip-making hub¡¯s last reactor in May.