Both referendums proposed by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) suffered defeat yesterday.
Out of 17,277,720 eligible voters in nationwide, for the DPP's proposal, the turnout was 26.34 percent. A total of 4,550,881 people voted on it with 3,891,179 affirmative votes and 363,494 negative votes.
For the KMT's proposal, the turnout was 26.08 percent. A total of 4,505,927 people voted on it with 2,304,136 affirmative votes and 1,656,890 negative votes.
PHOTO: OU SU-MEI, TAIPEI TIMES
According to Referendum Law (
The KMT's referendum aimed to empower the Legislature Yuan to set up a special investigative committee to probe any questionable finances of the president and high ranking government officials.
The referendum launched by the DPP called for regulations on the disposition of assets improperly obtained by political parties.
Commenting on the DPP's failed referendum bid, KMT Chairman Wu Poh-hsiung (
"If the KMT had any illegal assets, the judiciary system can charge us with wrongdoing at any time. But the truth is, we have reported our assets as required by the Control Yuan," he said, adding that it is a "monumental joke" to keep smearing the party.
necessary
Contrary to the pan-blue leaders' call to boycott yesterday's referendums, Demos Chiang (
In his latest entry on his blog baimu yiyan (
He said his support for the referendum is without any bias towards a particular camp, but because the referendum is the "most civilized mechanism that has happened in the history of democracy" and it is also the highest form of respect that politicians can pay for the people's right to choose.
No comments were available from DPP headquarters at press time on the failure of its proposed referendum.
Earlier yesterday however, DPP Secretary-General Cho Jung-tai (
"Their behavior is tantamount to rejecting democracy," Cho said. "They set a very bad example for Taiwan and the world. The message they send is that Taiwan is a country where the people cannot enjoy the right to referendum and that a referendum is like a dreadful monster."
DPP Legislator Shen Fa-hui (
Shen said they received complaints that some election personnel hinted to voters that they did not need to pick up the referendum ballots. Some simply told them flat out that they did not need to do so.
setup
Some called out the names of voters picking up the referendum ballots and the setup at some polling stations violated the Central Election Commission regulations, he said.
Shen encouraged voters encountering such problems or any other obstruction at polling stations to immediately report the situation to authorities. He also called on investigators to take the initiative to collect evidence and launch an investigation into any complaints.
Additional reporting by Ko Shu-ling
Taiwan would benefit from more integrated military strategies and deployments if the US and its allies treat the East China Sea, the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea as a “single theater of operations,” a Taiwanese military expert said yesterday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a researcher at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said he made the assessment after two Japanese military experts warned of emerging threats from China based on a drill conducted this month by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) Eastern Theater Command. Japan Institute for National Fundamentals researcher Maki Nakagawa said the drill differed from the
‘WORSE THAN COMMUNISTS’: President William Lai has cracked down on his political enemies and has attempted to exterminate all opposition forces, the chairman said The legislature would motion for a presidential recall after May 20, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday at a protest themed “against green communists and dictatorship” in Taipei. Taiwan is supposed to be a peaceful homeland where people are united, but President William Lai (賴清德) has been polarizing and tearing apart society since his inauguration, Chu said. Lai must show his commitment to his job, otherwise a referendum could be initiated to recall him, he said. Democracy means the rule of the people, not the rule of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), but Lai has failed to fulfill his
A rally held by opposition parties yesterday demonstrates that Taiwan is a democratic country, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, adding that if opposition parties really want to fight dictatorship, they should fight it on Tiananmen Square in Beijing. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) held a protest with the theme “against green communists and dictatorship,” and was joined by the Taiwan People’s Party. Lai said the opposition parties are against what they called the “green communists,” but do not fight against the “Chinese communists,” adding that if they really want to fight dictatorship, they should go to the right place and face
A 79-year-old woman died today after being struck by a train at a level crossing in Taoyuan, police said. The woman, identified by her surname Wang (王), crossed the tracks even though the barriers were down in Jhongli District’s (中壢) Neili (內壢) area, the Taoyuan Branch of the Railway Police Bureau said. Surveillance footage showed that the railway barriers were lowered when Wang entered the crossing, but why she ventured onto the track remains under investigation, the police said. Police said they received a report of an incident at 6:41am involving local train No. 2133 that was heading from Keelung to Chiayi City. Investigators
RSS