Scandal-plagued Taiwan leader Chen Shui-bian survived the island's first-ever bid to recall a "president" yesterday after the opposition-led campaign expectedly failed to get through the "legislature."

Only 119 "lawmakers" in the 221-member "Legislative Yuan" voted for the recall motion far short of the two-thirds majority, or 148 votes needed to pass the motion calling for a public referendum on whether to oust Chen.

All the 88 members of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) boycotted the vote while 12 members of the DPP ally, Taiwan Solidarity Union, and two independents cast null ballots.

The opposition Kuomintang (KMT) and its ally People First Party (PFP) launched the unprecedented "parliamentary" move last month when Chen's son-in-law, Chao Chien-min, was arrested on suspicion of insider trading.

Chen's wife, Wu Shu-chen, has also been accused of illegal financial dealings. Both claims are being investigated.

The opposition claimed Chen, whose approval rating has sunk to a record low due to the scandals, had lost the public's confidence and should resign, with two years left in his second term.

The Taiwan leader, however, has repeatedly refused to step down, saying the legal system should deal with the graft allegations.

After the vote, Chen issued a statement saying "the 'president' wants to apologize again because my personal life and family caused such great controversy with a big social cost."

KMT Chairman Ma Ying-jeou condemned the DPP for foiling the "parliamentary" motion aimed at ousting embattled Chen, calling the move "a victory for corruption."

He charged that DPP "lawmakers" had chosen to "stand side by side with corruption" during the landmark recall motion.

If the motion had passed, it would have triggered an islandwide referendum on whether to remove Chen before his term ends in May 2008.

"Chen dared not let people decide whether he should be ousted or continue serving," Ma said. "Although we regret the failure... we do not feel frustrated."

PFP Chairman James Soong urged Chen to "quickly tender his resignation" as over half of the "legislators" voted to recall him.

Soong vowed to push for a vote of no confidence against the "cabinet" led by "premier" Su Tseng-chang, also from the DPP.

The KMT also pledged to press ahead with a signature drive, which has gathered 1.67 million names so far from among the island's 23 million people, urging Chen to resign.

Source: China Daily/agencies