(Bloomberg) — Taiwan lawmakers again voted to expand their powers to summon public officials, defying both protesters and President Lai Ching-te, who is now expected to ask the Constitutional Court to review the changes and suspend their implementation.

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Around 1,000 protesters gathered outside the legislature during the vote. Organizers set up chairs, tents and air coolers on a bright, hot day in the capital. Lawmakers voted on various legislative amendments after having — at Lai’s request — reviewed and debated the changes since Wednesday.

The vote sets the stage for more fractious confrontations between Lai and the opposition parties in the island at the heart of China-US tensions. The opposition Kuomintang and its Taiwan People’s Party allies say they want to improve scrutiny of the executive and public officials. Critics argue that the changes represent a power grab that undermines the separation of powers and are aimed at derailing the president’s agenda.

The constitutionality of the legislation is still an unsettled debate, according to Liao Dachi, emeritus professor at Institute of Political Science of National Sun Yat-sen University. Still, she sees the amendments as effectively empowering lawmakers, as the legislative branch in Taiwan has been significantly weaker in capacity compared to the executive branch — the presidency.

While the DPP made history this year by winning its third successive presidential election, it lost control of the legislature, and the vote Friday shows Lai may struggle to enact his agenda in the face of a hostile parliament. Earlier this week, he announced plans for new defense, health care and climate committees to help push through his policies.

Still, markets in Taiwan have been largely unfazed by the political confrontation. That benchmark Taiex stocks gauge is set for a gain of more than 3.4% this week, extending its record high.

The Taiwan dollar is little changed for the week, last trading at 32.360 versus the greenback.

Opponents of the amendments this week took to the streets again for a three-day rally to coincide with lawmakers’ review of the legislation. Demonstrations have been peaceful, and also so far smaller in scale compared to protests when lawmakers first voted on the changes in May.

The government arranged for 500 police officers to be stationed outside the legislature in case of conflict between supporters from different parties, the semi-official Central News Agency reported.

Civic groups organizing the protest say the legal changes represent overreach by the legislature and democratic backsliding, while DPP legislator Puma Shen say they may force companies being probed to disclose trade secrets.

The KMT has accused the Lai government of conducting political fights since his inauguration on May 20, and legislator Hung Mong-kai says the bill would help hold the president accountable for his policies.

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