TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The opposition coalition fractured during Friday’s legislative vote on referendum proposals, with four of six initiatives proposed by either the KMT or TPP passing.
The TPP proposed requiring traffic fines to be used exclusively for traffic-related spending, introducing absentee voting, and legalizing medically assisted euthanasia, per Storm Media. The KMT proposed ending Taiwan’s “nuclear-free homeland” policy, opposing abolition of the death penalty, opposing abortion, and introducing judicial whipping into the Criminal Code. However, the proposals on absentee voting and opposing abolition of the death penalty were dropped before reaching the floor.
The opposition jointly passed the proposals on traffic-fine spending and ending the “nuclear-free homeland” policy, per CNA. The KMT also passed its proposal to introduce judicial whipping despite the TPP’s withholding its support.
Meanwhile, the KMT’s withdrawal of support for the medically assisted euthanasia proposal resulted in its failure. During the vote on the KMT’s whipping proposal, DPP Legislative Caucus Whip Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌) and Legislator Tsai Yi-yu (蔡易餘) initially voted for the proposal by mistake, per UDN.
Before the vote, the DPP legislative caucus argued that the issues covered by the proposals should be addressed in the legislature rather than put to referendum, per Newtalk. DPP Legislator Fan Yun (范雲) said the DPP was willing to support the TPP’s proposal on traffic-fine spending, but the opposition rejected the offer during legislative committee deliberations.
The two most contentious proposals within the opposition coalition concerned judicial whipping and medically assisted euthanasia. KMT Legislator Lai Shyh-pao (賴士葆) opposed the euthanasia proposal, saying the issue required a stronger social consensus before being put to a referendum, per NOWNews.
The TPP’s main objection to the KMT’s proposals was the introduction of judicial whipping into the Criminal Code. TPP Legislative Caucus Convener Chen Ching-lung (陳清龍) said before the vote that the caucus would abstain, despite the issue being roughly evenly divided within the party, per UP Media.
The TPP said it hoped to receive KMT support for all three of its proposals, though its decision to abstain put the KMT’s whipping proposal at risk of failing. The vote on whipping took place before the vote on medically assisted euthanasia.
After the vote, TPP Legislator Liu Shu-pin (劉書彬) expressed regret over KMT and DPP opposition to absentee voting, saying the TPP was the only party focused on protecting the voting rights of people who work or study away from their registered residences, per FTNN. She said the party would continue to push for absentee voting through legislative and policy reforms.
