A historic vote in Taiwan on Saturday targeting 24 opposition Kuomintang (KMT) legislators accused of being too friendly with Beijing ended without any removals but nonetheless shook the island nation’s political landscape.

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.

The result is a blow to President Lai Ching-te's Democratic Progressive Party, which missed an opportunity to reshape the legislature and regain its majority.