The Legislative Yuan yesterday sent a constitutional amendment proposal to committee, but Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) said it would not be reviewed until the next legislative session.
The amendment, which would lower the voting age from 20 to 18, was proposed by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕) and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators Gao Jyh-peng (高志鵬) and Cheng Li-chiun (鄭麗君).
The legislature holds two sessions annually — the first from February to May and the second from September to December.
Cheng said she hopes to form a constitutional amendment committee in an extra legislative session.
The legislature has decided to hold an extra three-week session that is to start on June 13.
The constitutional amendment committee is to consist of one-third of all lawmakers plus one more, and is proportionate to the shares the various political parties hold in the 113-seat lawmaking body.
Lu said that it would be best to hold a constitutional amendment referendum alongside major elections, since it would need a very high percentage of voters to cast their “yes” ballots.
Since it is too late to hold such a referendum, with local elections set for late November, it would be better to do it in conjunction with the next presidential election in early 2016, Lu added.
Constitutional amendment laws require a “yes” vote from more than 50 percent of the number of eligible voters in the country in such constitutional referendums.
A strong continental cold air mass and abundant moisture bringing snow to mountains 3,000m and higher over the past few days are a reminder that more than 60 years ago Taiwan had an outdoor ski resort that gradually disappeared in part due to climate change. On Oct. 24, 2021, the National Development Council posted a series of photographs on Facebook recounting the days when Taiwan had a ski resort on Hehuanshan (合歡山) in Nantou County. More than 60 years ago, when developing a branch of the Central Cross-Island Highway, the government discovered that Hehuanshan, with an elevation of more than 3,100m,
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