TAIPEI, Aug 14 (Reuters) – Taiwan’s opposition-controlled parliament voted on Friday to hold three referendums, including one on caning criminals convicted of sex crimes and fraud, and another to support nuclear power, which could be held later this year.
Referendums are held every few years in Taiwan, generally after the gathering of signatures from citizens for specific proposals, though lawmakers can also approve them, as is the case with these three voted through by lawmakers.
However, they have to be formally approved by the election commission which will set the voting date, and there is no guarantee that if they pass the measures will enter law.
There is also a relatively high threshold for approval which has stymied some previous referendums.
Taiwan holds local elections for city mayors and county chiefs on November 28, and the three referendums are likely to be held on the same day.
Taiwan’s largest opposition party, the Kuomintang (KMT), proposed the canning and nuclear referendums, the second of which calls for the government to abolish its previously declared “nuclear-free homeland” policy.
The third referendum passed, proposed by the small Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) which generally votes with the KMT, is on designating traffic fines to be used for road safety improvements.
Lawmakers from the ruling Democratic Progressive Party voted against the holding of all three referendums.
Turnout for referendums is key, which is why the opposition wants to hold them on the same day as local elections.
For a referendum to pass, at least 25% of the island’s roughly 20 million eligible voters need to vote in favour. So there must be at least about 5 million “yes” votes, and “yes” votes must exceed “no” votes.
Last August, an opposition-backed, stand alone referendum to re-open Taiwan’s last nuclear plant failed because it did not reach the legal threshold to be valid.
If referendums pass, in theory the Cabinet has three months to send relevant legislation to parliament for approval.
In 2018, voters approved referendums that opposed marriage equality.
But same sex marriage ended up being legalised the following year because parliament voted to enforce a court ruling that it was unconstitutional to block it.
(Reporting by Ben Blanchard)
Comments