The Central Election Commission (CEC) yesterday postponed next month’s referendum to Dec. 18, due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
The vote, originally slated for Aug. 28, would be on proposals to protect the algal reefs in Datan Borough (大潭) in Taoyuan’s Guanyin District (觀音), bar pork imports containing ractopamine, combine referendum votes with national elections and restart work on the mothballed Fourth Nuclear Power Plant in New Taipei City’s Gongliao District (貢寮).
Mobilizing nearly 270,000 workers and volunteers to help at 17,479 voting stations would be problematic under a nationwide level 3 COVID-19 alert, the commission said.
Photo: CNA
The alert, extended until July 12, prohibits meetings of more than five people indoors and 10 outdoors, and requires that schools, community centers, temples and other places where large groups gather close, which would hinder the commission’s ability to prepare for the referendums.
The CEC cited Article 24 of the Referendum Act (公民投票法) and Constitutional Interpretation No. 553 as giving it the authority to delay the vote, adding that it was unanimously approved by commission members.
CEC Chairman Lee Chin-yung (李進勇) said that the commission had sought opinions from local governments and branch offices, with most saying that the commission should respect the opinion of the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC), which had said that holding large-scale events such as a referendum vote could increase the risk of more cluster infections.
Referendums require a significant number of staffers and volunteers from local governments, districts and boroughs, most of whom are already busy with epidemic prevention efforts, Lee said.
Rescue Datan’s Algal Reefs Alliance convener Pan Chong-cheng (潘忠政), who sponsored a referendum to relocate a planned liquefied national gas (LNG) terminal off the coast of Datan, said the commission’s decision to delay the vote was “commendable.”
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), whose members initiated two of the referendums, said that the Legislative Yuan should convene a provisional session to discuss rules on delaying referendums and implementing an absentee voting system.
The KMT also said that the government should halt imports of US pork containing ractopamine and suspend construction of the LNG terminal until referendum voting has finished.
Additional reporting by Shih Hsiao-kuang and Lo Chi
Auckland rang in 2026 with a downtown fireworks display launched from New Zealand’s tallest structure, Sky Tower, making it the first major city to greet the new year at a celebration dampened by rain, while crowds in Taipei braved the elements to watch Taipei 101’s display. South Pacific countries are the first to bid farewell to 2025. Clocks struck midnight in Auckland, with a population of 1.7 million, 18 hours before the famous ball was to drop in New York’s Times Square. The five-minute display involved 3,500 fireworks launched from the 240m Sky Tower. Smaller community events were canceled across New Zealand’s
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday said it is closely monitoring developments in Venezuela, and would continue to cooperate with democratic allies and work together for regional and global security, stability, and prosperity. The remarks came after the US on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who was later flown to New York along with his wife. The pair face US charges related to drug trafficking and alleged cooperation with gangs designated as terrorist organizations. Maduro has denied the allegations. The ministry said that it is closely monitoring the political and economic situation
‘SLICING METHOD’: In the event of a blockade, the China Coast Guard would intercept Taiwanese ships while its navy would seek to deter foreign intervention China’s military drills around Taiwan this week signaled potential strategies to cut the nation off from energy supplies and foreign military assistance, a US think tank report said. The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) conducted what it called “Justice Mission 2025” exercises from Monday to Tuesday in five maritime zones and airspace around Taiwan, calling them a warning to “Taiwanese independence” forces. In a report released on Wednesday, the Institute for the Study of War said the exercises effectively simulated blocking shipping routes to major port cities, including Kaohsiung, Keelung and Hualien. Taiwan would be highly vulnerable under such a blockade, because it
UNRELENTING: China attempted cyberattacks on Taiwan’s critical infrastructure 2.63 million times per day last year, up from 1.23 million in 2023, the NSB said China’s cyberarmy has long engaged in cyberattacks against Taiwan’s critical infrastructure, employing diverse and evolving tactics, the National Security Bureau (NSB) said yesterday, adding that cyberattacks on critical energy infrastructure last year increased 10-fold compared with the previous year. The NSB yesterday released a report titled Analysis on China’s Cyber Threats to Taiwan’s Critical Infrastructure in 2025, outlining the number of cyberattacks, major tactics and hacker groups. Taiwan’s national intelligence community identified a large number of cybersecurity incidents last year, the bureau said in a statement. China’s cyberarmy last year launched an average of 2.63 million intrusion attempts per day targeting Taiwan’s critical
RSS