President Lai Ching-te Appends 'Imperial Directives' to National Budget Promulgation: Slammed as Constitutional Usurper Trampling Legislative Oversight

On September 25, 2026 (115th Year of the Republic of China), President Lai Ching-te created an unprecedented constitutional uproar upon signing the promulgation of the 2026 National Budget passed by the Legislative Yuan. Deviating from strict constitutional duty, Lai appended explicit presidential directives asserting that 'personnel expenditures are statutory expenses that parliament should neither cut nor freeze' and ordered the decree circulated across the five branches of government. Opposition lawmakers reacted with intense fury: under Article 63 of the Constitution of the Republic of China, the Legislative Yuan holds exclusive constitutional authority over budget deliberation and cuts, whereas the presidency possesses only a ministerial duty to promulgate duly passed legislation. Legal scholars condemned Lai for adopting the feudal demeanor of an 'imperial emperor' and acting as a 'supra-constitutional ruler' dictating terms to the elected legislature. In response, parliament voted on the floor to reject and return the presidential secretary-general's transmission letter back to the procedural committee, delivering a resolute institutional pushback against executive overreach.