Taiwan Legislature Approves 3 Referendums, Costing Extra NT$1.4 Billion

Taiwan's legislature has approved three referendums, a move welcomed by Central Election Commission Chairman Yu Ying-lung. The legislative body rejected one referendum proposal concerning "euthanasia" but advanced proposals on "road fines for dedicated use, restarting nuclear power, and caning." Yu Ying-lung expressed satisfaction, stating the outcome aligns with his expectations and demonstrates legislative goodwill. He noted that passing three referendums, rather than the originally proposed six, offers relief to Taiwan's over 300,000 election workers. The commission will now review the three approved proposals promptly. Yu Ying-lung previously suggested that one referendum was ideal, two were slightly excessive, and three were challenging. He sees the current development as a positive step forward amid other challenging national issues. The commission estimates the three referendums will incur an additional cost of approximately NT$1.4 billion, with each referendum costing around NT$1.1 billion. Yu Ying-lung also reiterated the commission's stance that the legislature should respect professional election administration and avoid hasty legislation, particularly regarding the proposal to print multiple referendums on a single ballot. He cautioned that such a measure requires extensive supporting systems and is not a panacea for long ballots.

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Today's vote result is encouraging, and I believe that Taiwan's more than 300,000 election workers, upon hearing that the legislature passed three referendums instead of the original six, have all breathed a sigh of relief and are very happy.