Taiwanese voters have voted ‘No’ to all four questions in a referendum held Saturday, signalling a victory for President Tsai Ing-wen and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government. The questions revolved around trade, the environment, energy plans, and elections.
At a press conference, President Tsai said that the results show that Taiwan is ready to become more global and a more active member of the international community.
The first question asked voters if they wanted to see the fourth nuclear power plant reactivated. Only 19% of eligible voters, or over 3.8 million, voted in favor while 21% of eligible voters, or nearly 4.3 million, were against the initiative. The plant is an unfinished nuclear power plant in New Taipei City. Its construction was halted by the KMT administration in 2014 after environmentalists brought up safety concerns after the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster.
The next question asked if a ban on pork imports containing the additive ractopamine should be reinstated. Only 19.8% of eligible voters, or over 3.9 million, voted in favor while 20.8% of eligible voters, or over 4.1 million, voted against the proposal. President Tsai Ing-wen lifted the ban on these imports in January to improve trade ties with the United States. She has said Taiwan should show that it is a reliable trade partner which could pave the way for a bilateral trade agreement with the United States and Taiwan joining the regional CPTPP.
People also did not agree that referendums should be held on the same day as general elections. This question saw 19.9% of eligible voters, or over 3.9 million, vote in favor and 20.7% of eligible voters, or over 4.1 million, cast their ballot against the proposal. While holding referendums on the same day could be more cost-effective, in 2018, it led to people waiting in line for hours to vote with some people voting after ballots were being counted.
The last question asked if plans for a third liquified natural gas terminal should be relocated from the Datan algal reef. This question saw 19.6% of eligible voters, or over 3.9 million, vote in favor while over 20.9% of eligible voters, or nearly 4.2 million, voted against the initiative. This question saw protection of an algal reef pitted against the country’s energy plans. The DPP has said that the terminal will be moved further offshore to protect the reef but would not be entirely relocated.
The terminal has been touted by the government as key to the nation’s plans to diversify energy sources by 2025. The plans include increasing the use of natural gas from 36 to 50 percent, reducing coal from 45 to 30 percent, increasing renewable energy from 6 to 20 percent and phasing out the use of nuclear energy and oil-fired plants.
Taiwan’s referendum initiatives need to be passed by gaining at least 25% of the eligible electorate’s vote in favor with more votes in favor than against a proposal.
Voter turnout was 41%, a low figure for Taiwan’s active democracy. Taiwan’s 2020 presidential election saw a 75% voter turnout.
As none of the initiatives passed, the same initiatives cannot be proposed for another two years.