In the News

New Taipei City Council greenlights referendum bill

• Publication Date：06/26/2012
• Source： Taiwan Today
• By  June Tsai

The New Taipei City Council passed a self-governance bill June 25 that will allow the municipal government to hold referendums on major issues.

The bill, proposed jointly by councilors from the Democratic Progressive Party, Kuomintang and Non-Partisan Solidarity Union, was approved unanimously.

The future of the Longmen nuclear power plant, under construction in Gongliao District, is likely to be the first matter to be put to a vote. According to DPP caucus whip Ho Shu-feng, the party has already started preparations for a referendum on whether work on the facility should continue.

The new law requires that 0.5 percent of the electorate in the most recent mayoral election endorse a proposal before it can be submitted to the county’s referendum review committee and subsequently to the Cabinet for approval. This means that at least 15,035 voters are required to back the initiative in the first phrase, and the current number of supporters is close to that figure, Ho said.

In the second phase, 5 percent of all eligible municipal voters, or around 150,344, are required to sign the petition for it to be placed on the ballot as a referendum.

The referendum would then become law if it garners support from an absolute majority, with voter turnout of over 50 percent.

Two of Taiwan’s three operating nuclear power plants are located in New Taipei City. Commercial operation of the Longmen facility was originally scheduled for 2004 but has been postponed to 2016 due to public concerns about its safety. (THN)