Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers have voiced concerns, saying that several controversial bills are expected to be fast-tracked in the legislature, including a draft absentee voting act, referendum reforms, changes to nationality rules and outlying island development, sparking debate over election integrity, local autonomy and national security.
Bills expected to advance include the proposed absentee voting act, amendments to the Referendum Act (公民投票法), the Nationality Act (國籍法), and the Offshore Islands Development Act (離島建設條例).
The Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) caucus proposed a draft absentee voting act that would allow domestic voters to cast ballots via transferred votes or at designated polling stations.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
“Eligible voters are those registered in the free area of the Republic of China, and legally entitled to vote in elections or referendums,” the TPP bill says, adding that it would cover presidential and vice-presidential elections, central and local offices, recalls, and nationwide referendums.
TPP caucus said the proposed bill aims to strengthen democracy by encouraging voter participation.
The bill would permit only domestic ballot transfers, TPP Legislator Chang Chi-kaisaid.
However, the Central Election Commission and the Ministry of the Interior said that implementing absentee voting could create administrative confusion, especially with about 8,900 ballots involved in upcoming local elections, potentially overwhelming local election offices.
Absentee voting could be exploited by hostile actors to manipulate voters and undermine electoral fairness, the ministry said.
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus’ proposed amendment to Referendum Act would allow future Constitutional Court rulings to be submitted to a referendum for citizens to decide whether to overturn them.
KMT Legislator Lo Chih-chiang (羅智強) said Constitutional Court decisions affect major national policies, and “greater democracy” requires controversial rulings be put to the people.
DPP caucus chief executive Chung Chia-pin (鍾佳濱) said that no democratic country with direct civic rights allows referendums to overturn constitutional rulings, asking how the KMT would determine a court acted illegally.
Separately, KMT Legislator Fu Kun-chi’s proposed amendment to the Nationality Act would allow Chinese citizens to run for public office in Taiwan without renouncing their nationality. Critics said the explanatory notes caused confusion over the law’s applicability to Chinese and overlap with the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例).
However, DPP Legislator Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) said that all foreign nationals seeking political participation in Taiwan must renounce other nationalities and pledge allegiance to the Constitution.
Separately, KMT Legislator Chen Yu-jen’s (陳玉珍) proposed amendment to the Offshore Islands Development Act would allow “free trade demonstration zones” on outlying islands.
The DPP criticized the bill, saying it could allow Beijing to mislabel Chinese-made products, permit Chinese doctors to practice in Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties, and economically integrate Kinmen with China’s Fujian Province, posing a military risk.
Civil society groups said the amendment would open the islands to China and could turn outlying islands into a “Chinese concession” or a demonstration area for the so-called “one country, two systems” model.
Chen said that the proposal’s focus is “to free Kinmen from restrictions and promote development,” and that the free trade zones are intended to boost the local economy, not compromise national security.
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