Taiwanese voters rejected a bid to oust about one-fifth of their lawmakers, all from the opposition Nationalist Party, in a recall election Saturday, dampening hopes for the ruling party to flip the balance of power in the self-ruled island’s legislature.

Early results of the hugely controversial vote indicate the opposition will keep its majority in Taiwan's parliament.

Taiwanese voters rejected the recall of 24 opposition KMT lawmakers, thwarting the ruling DPP's efforts to gain legislative majority. The DPP faces challenges ahead of next year's local elections. Opposition accused the ruling party of political retaliation,

On July 26, Taiwan will set a new record for a developed democracy, holding recall referendums for 24 opposition legislators as well as one opposition mayor. This is nothing to be proud of; the mass recalls of more than a fifth of Taiwan’s legislature are the latest sign of a political crisis that has largely gone unnoticed internationally.