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Presidential election 2008: 16 days to go: CEC says it will have final word if Chen demands poll

Although President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) could call for a "defensive referendum," the Central Election Commission (CEC) would have the final say on whether it should be held, the head of the commission said yesterday.

CEC Chairman Chang Cheng-hsiung (張政雄) was asked at the legislature's Home and Nations Committee whether the CEC would accept a "defensive referendum" if Chen proposed one and whether it would be held in tandem with the presidential election on March 22.

Chang cited the Referendum Act (公民投票法), which was passed in November 2003, as stipulating that the president can initiate a "defensive referendum" if there is an emergency involving a foreign threat to the nation. A defensive referendum is not bound by the regulations stipulating that a public announcement on a plebiscite must be issued at least 28 days prior to the vote, Chang said.

If Chen initiated a defensive referendum within 28 days of the presidential election, Chang said, the CEC would convene a meeting to decide whether to allow it.

The plebiscite could not occur without the CEC's approval, Chang said.

The DPP recently called on the KMT to put party politics aside and support both of the UN referendums to prevent a scenario in which the two polls both fail.

To prevent the same scenario, some political figures have called on Chen to initiate a "defensive referendum" on the issue worded in such a way that is acceptable to both parties. The president dismissed the idea on Feb. 26.
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