A majority of respondents in a survey conducted by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said they approved the Central Election Commission's (CEC) decision to distribute the ballots for legislative elections and two referendums together in next month's polls.
The poll, conducted by the party's Poll Center between Wednesday and Friday, surveyed 1,009 adults and found that 56 percent of respondents were in favor of the CEC decision to adopt one-step voting, whereby voters would receive two ballots for the legislative elections and two referendum ballots simultaneously.
Fifty-seven percent of respondents said two-step voting, proposed by the 18 pan-blue local governments, was "inappropriate."
The figure was up 9 percent from a poll the week before.
In a bid to resolve the dispute, CEC Chairman Chang Cheng-hsiung (
The DPP poll also found that 62 percent of the respondents agreed that district election commissions should follow the CEC decision.
Meanwhile, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus whip Tseng Yung-chuan (
Tseng said that the caucus was willing to negotiate its draft amendment on the commission's composition with other caucuses, but the caucus would not put forth any new proposal at this point.
Tseng was responding to a report in the Chinese-language China Times yesterday that quoted an unidentified senior KMT official as saying the KMT had drawn up a revised amendment to the Organic Law of the Central Election Commission (
The story said the KMT had backed down on its original proposal, which suggested commission members be appointed based on the number of seats held by each party in the legislature.
The story quoted the KMT official as saying that the party's new proposal would suggest the Cabinet be given the authority to nominate eight of the 17 commission members, while the remaining eight nominees and commission chairman should be negotiated with the opposition.
Tseng said yesterday the KMT had no such new proposal.
He said the KMT would push for a vote in the legislature on its draft amendment if cross-party negotiations fail.
"We should vote if we have to," he said. "This is the democratic spirit Taiwan is proud of."
In a campaign rally in Taipei County yesterday, President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) accused the KMT of trying to use the amendment as leverage to force the administration to abandon the one-step voting procedure.
Chen said the draft amendment violates the Constitution and infringes on executive authority, adding that the KMT was trying to meddle with the two referendums, dominate the independent body and protect its stolen assets.
At a separate setting, Taiwan Solidarity Union Chairman Huang Kun-huei (黃昆輝) yesterday lashed out at both the DPP and KMT for bickering over voting procedures instead of helping the population by addressing more important matters.
Huang also recommended the two ballots for legislative elections be distributed separately to avoid confusion between the district legislator and legislator-at-large races.
Under the "one district, two votes" system, Huang said, voters must have resided at their registered address for at least four months to vote in a given district's legislative race, while all voters have the right to cast a ballot in the legislator-at-large race.
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
Temperatures in northern Taiwan are forecast to reach as high as 30°C today, as an ongoing northeasterly seasonal wind system weakens, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said yesterday that with the seasonal wind system weakening, warmer easterly winds would boost the temperature today. Daytime temperatures in northern Taiwan and Yilan County are expected to range from 28°C to 30°C today, up about 3°C from yesterday, Tseng said. According to the CWA, temperature highs in central and southern Taiwan could stay stable. However, the weather is expected to turn cooler starting tonight as the northeasterly wind system strengthens again
Taiwan sweltered through its hottest October on record, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, the latest in a string of global temperature records. The main island endured its highest average temperature since 1950, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng said. Temperatures the world over have soared in recent years as human-induced climate change contributes to ever more erratic weather patterns. Taiwan’s average temperature was 27.381°C as of Thursday, Liu said. Liu said the average could slip 0.1°C by the end of yesterday, but it would still be higher than the previous record of 27.009°C in 2016. "The temperature only started lowering around Oct. 18 or 19
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