The Executive Yuan yesterday told lawmakers that it supports the implementation of transfer voting for domestic voters in national referendums or presidential elections to increase democratic participation and guarantee civil rights, but added that the matter would be decided by the legislature.
“The Executive Yuan recommends the adoption of transfer voting in Taiwan. For example, people who live in Pingtung County could vote in Taipei by-elections,” Executive Yuan Secretary-General Chen Wei-zen (陳威仁) told the legislature’s Internal Administration Committee.
Lawmakers had requested that Chen and Central Election Commission Chairwoman Chang Po-ya (張博雅) deliver a report on the implementation of absentee voting in national referendums and elections, an issue that has been a topic of heated discussion after the Cabinet proposed holding a referendum to decide if the construction of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant should be completed or suspended.
Establishing absentee voting for overseas citizens, in particular Taiwanese businesspeople in China, would be “complex,” which was why the Cabinet favored implementing a domestic resident only voting mechanism for now, Chen said.
The Cabinet will respect whatever decision lawmakers make on when and how absentee voting should be implemented, Chen said.
Preparatory work for the implementation of transfer voting in the nuclear power plant referendum would take between one and three months, Chang told lawmakers.
Citizens who intend to vote in a different constituency would be required to register 30 days in advance, and it would take another 20 days to review the registration, Chang said.
The estimated cost of a national referendum is about NT$780 million (US$26.2 million) and the implementation of absentee voting would cost an additional NT$80 million, Chang said.
The commission is required by law to hold any referendum initiated by the Legislative Yuan within six months of receiving the proposal, Chang added.
Separately, Deputy Minister of the Interior Hsiao Chia-chi (蕭家淇), who also attended the legislative session, released the results of a public opinion poll conducted between March 8 and March 11 on absentee voting, which showed that 76 percent of respondents were in favor of the mechanism.
However, if the system was implemented only on the nation’s outlying islands, then the support rate fell to just above 30 percent, Hsiao said.
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Hualien Branch of the High Court today sentenced the main suspect in the 2021 fatal derailment of the Taroko Express to 12 years and six months in jail in the second trial of the suspect for his role in Taiwan’s deadliest train crash. Lee Yi-hsiang (李義祥), the driver of a crane truck that fell onto the tracks and which the the Taiwan Railways Administration's (TRA) train crashed into in an accident that killed 49 people and injured 200, was sentenced to seven years and 10 months in the first trial by the Hualien District Court in 2022. Hoa Van Hao, a
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the