Four initiatives challenging the government’s policies on energy, food safety, environmental protection and regulations governing referendums failed to pass yesterday in a national referendum characterized by a relatively low turnout and nearly identical vote margins on all four issues.
Under the Referendum Act (公民投票法), a referendum can only pass if an initiative is supported by at least one-quarter of all eligible voters, and the “yes” votes exceed the “no” votes. For yesterday’s vote, that meant an initiative could only pass if it garnered at least 4,956,367 “yes” votes and there were fewer “no” votes.
Referendum No. 17, proposed by nuclear power advocate
Taiwan can continue to import pork products containing traces of ractopamine within the legal limits set by the government, after Taiwanese yesterday voted against reinstating a ban.
Official numbers showed that 3,936,554 people voted in favor of banning the imports, while 4,131,203 voted against the proposal.
The government’s decision to allow the imports from the beginning of this year stirred controversy, as many said that the leanness-enhancing additive might affect the health of Taiwanese.
Council of Agriculture Minister Chen Chi-chung (陳吉仲), who voted near his registered address in Taichung yesterday morning, told reporters that the US government this year withdrew preferential tariffs of
President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) Facebook posts have misled voters by distorting the appeals of two questions in today’s referendum, the initiators of the questions said yesterday.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lin Wei-chou (林為洲) initiated a referendum calling for a ban to be reinstated on imports of pork containing traces of ractopamine, while Rescue Datan’s Algal Reefs Alliance convener Pan Chong-cheng (潘忠政) initiated a referendum to move a natural gas terminal project from offshore of Taoyuan’s Guanyin District (觀音).
The Facebook posts said: “To stop building the third liquefied natural gas plant,” but the referendum question, and his goal, was not to
Allowing the importation of pork with ractopamine residue is a trade matter, not a safety issue, an Executive Yuan official said yesterday, adding that no health problems have been reported since the ban was lifted.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, made the remarks ahead of the Dec. 18 referendum, which includes a question asking voters if they agree that the government should ban the importation of pork products containing ractopamine residue.
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is urging the public to vote “no” on the referendum question, which was initiated by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lin Wei-chou (林為洲).
The official
Members of the Taiwan Algae Reef Reservation Alliance and opposition party lawmakers yesterday accused CPC Corp, Taiwan (CPC, 台灣中油) of using its public relations spending to mobilize people to attend Premier Su Tseng-chang’s (蘇貞昌) rallies on next month’s referendums.
On the ballot in the Dec. 18 referendum will be questions related to banning the importation of pork containing traces of the leanness-enhancing additive ractopamine, relocating a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal project to protect algal reefs off Taoyuan’s Guanyin District (觀音), activating the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant in New Taipei City’s Gongliao District (貢寮) and holding referendums alongside elections.
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