TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Central Election Commission Chair You Ying-lung (游盈隆) said Monday that holding three or more referendums alongside November's local elections could overburden the electoral system, drawing criticism from the ruling and opposition parties.
The opposition is pursuing five referendum proposals: allowing whipping as a punishment for certain crimes, opposing the abolition of the death penalty, adopting a single non-transferable vote electoral system, requiring traffic violation fines to be used exclusively for transportation-related purposes, and restarting nuclear power, per Liberty Times. Opposition parties hope to secure approval in time for the proposals to be put to voters alongside the November local elections.
You said Taiwan could "handle one referendum, may struggle with two, and might be overwhelmed by three," prompting criticism from lawmakers.
KMT Legislative Caucus Secretary-General Lin Pei-hsiang (林沛祥) said that while the party respected You's right to express his views, it expected him to maintain political neutrality while referendum proposals remain under consideration. TPP Legislative Caucus Convener Chen Ching-lung (陳清龍) said there is no legal limit on the number of referendum proposals that may be submitted, although he believed You's comments were made in good faith, per UDN.
DPP Legislative Caucus Secretary-General Chuang Jui-hsiung (莊瑞雄) echoed Lin's criticism, saying You should refrain from making political comments and maintain neutrality, per UP Media. Chuang also criticized You's earlier remark that holding referendums alongside the 2026 local elections appeared to be "this year's trend," arguing that it created the impression he had already formed a position on the issue.
You publicly clashed with DPP lawmakers over his suggestion that referendums currently moving through the legislature were likely to be held alongside the 2026 local elections. DPP Legislator Wang Yi-chuan (王義川) criticized You for describing what he believed to be a likely outcome as a "trend," saying You was "the worst CEC chair ever," per Liberty Times.
You defended his remarks, saying they addressed only the likelihood that referendums would coincide with the elections, not the substance of the proposals, per Tai Sounds. He rejected what he described as baseless accusations from DPP lawmakers and urged the public not to undermine confidence in Taiwan's electoral system through such claims.
DPP Legislator Wu Szu-yao (吳思瑤) defended Wang's criticism, saying legislative oversight of the CEC chair was appropriate, per UDN. She said some opposition-backed referendum proposals may contain unsuitable elements, including one that could override a Constitutional Court interpretation on the death penalty, as well as proposals involving budgetary matters.
Wu also accused the opposition of using the referendum process to mobilize supporters at the expense of the orderly administration of elections.
Wang renewed his criticism by questioning You's authority to speak on behalf of the commission while it has yet to meet its quorum requirement, per SETN. He again described You as "the worst commission chair in history" and criticized him for commenting on how many referendums could be held alongside the 2026 local elections.
