The top election official said yesterday it would still be possible to hold the referendums and the presidential election separately if the legislature amends the law to lower referendum thresholds.
Central Election Commission (CEC) Chairman Chang Cheng-hsiung (張政雄) made the remarks while fielding a question from Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator John Wu (吳志揚) at the legislature's Home and Nations Committee meeting.
The CEC decided in a meeting last month to hold two referendums on the nation's UN bid together with the presidential election on March 22.
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)-sponsored referendum asks if voters support seeking UN membership using the name "Taiwan," while the KMT initiative asks if voters support rejoining the world body under the "Republic of China" or any other "practical titles."
Some pan-blue politicians have called on voters to boycott both referendums.
After a meeting with Taiwan Solidarity Union Chairman Huang Kun-huei (黃昆輝) on Wednesday, President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) said he would hold cross-party negotiations on separating the referendums and the presidential election if the KMT consents to amending the Referendum Law to lower the voting threshold for referendum results.
Current law stipulates that the petition to hold a referendum requires the signature of 0.5 percent of eligible voters who took part in the most recent presidential election -- about 80,000 people. In addition, the signature of 5 percent of the number of voters in the nation, or approximately 800,000 people, are needed before the petition can be screened by the Referendum Review Committee.
After the petition is approved, a 50 percent voter turnout -- approximately 8 million voters -- is required for a referendum to be considered valid.
"[The CEC] does not rule out holding a new round of discussions [on separating the referendums and the election] if there's a change in circumstances -- such as an amendment to the Referendum Law to lower thresholds," Chang said.
Chang added that if the referendums were held separate from the election, "it should be handled seven days before the election at the latest."
At a separate setting yesterday, KMT caucus whip Lin Yi-shih (
"The UN referendum issue should be resolved as soon as possible. If President Chen thinks that the referendums can be separated from the election, the CEC should solve the issue," he said.
KMT Chairman Wu Poh-hsiung (吳伯雄) yesterday declined to comment on whether the KMT was willing to amend the law, adding that the party would make its stance clear after the Central Standing Committee meeting on Wednesday.
"The KMT does not oppose referendums, but we oppose twisting the meaning of the referendums," Wu said.
DPP presidential candidate Frank Hsieh (
"But if the KMT rejects all options and works to thwart the referendums, we don't have much choice," he said.
Holding a referendum together with the poll could boost the odds of it succeeding, he said.
NATIONAL SECURITY: Authorities are working to confirm the identities of the military personnel involved and investigating possible illegal conduct and regulatory violations Authorities are probing possible national security implications after Kinmen police and immigration officers on Sunday found a Chinese woman allegedly posing as a tourist while engaging in prostitution involving more than 10 military personnel. The woman, surnamed Chen (陳), has since been deported, authorities said, adding that investigators are still working to confirm the identities of those implicated, as the records only listed code names and aliases. The case stemmed from a report received by the Kinmen District Prosecutors’ Office on Friday last week from the Jinhu Precinct of the Kinmen County Police Bureau. On Sunday, police, along with the National Immigration
GLOBALGIVING: ‘ Caving to external pressure is not acceptable for an organization that has cultivated justice reform and human rights for 30 years,’ one NGO said A slew of non-government organizations (NGOs) have withdrawn from the GlobalGiving fundraising platform after it announced it would use “Chinese Taipei” instead of “Taiwan” from next month. The Taiwan Good Rice Association wrote on Facebook on Friday that it was informed on April 28 via a teleconference call of the change, which was made because the platform wanted to operate in China. Taiwan Good Rice is to terminate all cooperative relationships with GlobalGiving in response to the platform’s “unilateral and non-negotiable” decision to remove references to Taiwan, the NGO said. “Taiwan is in the official name of Taiwan Good Rice Association and the
HEAVY WEATHER: Typhoon Jangmi is due to crash straight into the Ryukyus as airlines look to shift flights to larger aircraft or cancel flights to Okinawa entirely Taiwan’s international air carriers announced flight adjustments over the weekend as Typhoon Jangmi is forecast to hit the Ryukyu Islands today and tomorrow. The Central Weather Administration (CWA) upgraded Jangmi from a tropical storm to a typhoon at 8am yesterday, with the eye located 580km south of Naha city. It was moving north at 19kph. Today, China Airlines’ CI-120, CI-121, CI-122 and CI-123 flights between Taoyuan and Naha, Okinawa, have been canceled as well as CI-132 and CI-133 between Kaohsiung and Naha. EVA Air’s BR-112, BR-113, BR-186 and BR-185 flights between Taoyuan and Naha are also canceled. Low-cost carrier Tigerair Taiwan canceled IT-230,
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) yesterday briefed her party’s Central Standing Committee regarding her scheduled visit to the US between Monday next week and June 16, saying that her purpose would be to persuade the US that the Republic of China (ROC) Constitution was a “one China” constitution that would foster stable and peaceful cross-strait relations. The ROC Constitution is the most important defense for all Taiwanese citizens, as it upholds our democracy and has contributed to our robust economy, which aligns with international and US interests, she said. “We would not be troublemakers and drag the US under,”
RSS