The three major opposition parties, which far outnumber Chen's ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in the legislature, said they had enough lawmakers' signatures for a motion to remove the "President".

The upheaval took a toll on the jittery stock market, which closed 2 percent lower as worried investors dumped shares.

The crisis began on Friday, when the provincial government decided to halt the building of a controversial nuclear power plant, which the opposition had backed. Chen apologised to Lien Chan, chairman of the Kuomintang, the main opposition party, on Monday over the decision to scrap the plant, but the gesture was rebuffed by the KMT as being "insincere".

Tuesday, lawmakers protested in the Legislative Yuan by popping balloons, pumping their fists in the air and chanting "Recall A-bian!" - referring to Chen by his nickname.

"Premier" Chang Chun-hsiung was originally due to explain the provincial government's 2001 budget proposal, but opposition lawmakers, flexing their muscle, voted to postpone this and shelve the budget debate.

As opposition figures continued to fan anti-Chen sentiment, DPP lawmakers left their seats and moved towards the podium to appeal for "stabilising politics". In the ensuing shouting match, the minority DPP caucus was drowned out.

Opposition lawmakers unfurled a red banner that read "Please leave persona non grata Premier Chang", sparking Speaker Wang Jin-pyng to dismiss the "Premier", who sat through the session without being able to respond to the lawmakers' grievances.

By yesterday evening, more than 120 signatures had been collected, nearing the 147 needed to pass the motion to recall the "President". If passed, at least 50 percent of the voting public would have to cast their ballots. A majority would be enough to remove Chen.

KMT lawmaker Ting Shou-chung, who initiated the motion to recall the "President", said he would definitely submit the motion but that the timing would depend on "the people's response".

Other KMT lawmakers said the motion could be submitted as early as Friday.

Analysts said the threat to topple the DPP was real, but the KMT, which is experiencing a slump in popularity, also had much to lose. "It depends on whether the Kuomintang is prepared to face the consequences of the dismissal. If a new election is held, the KMT will not necessarily benefit," said Joseph Wu, political observer at National Chengchi University.

(China Daily 11/01/2000)