Civic groups walked around the legislature seven times on Wednesday to mark the one year anniversary of the Sunflower Movement’s birth.
The Sunflower Movement refers to a mass protest that led to the occupation of the legislature.
The civic groups say that even after seven rounds of constitutional amendment, five direct presidential elections and two peaceful transfers of political power, Taiwan is still in need of democratic reform.
The groups are calling for amendments to referendum regulations and to laws on recalling elected officials. They want to get rid of the referendum approval committee and decrease the number of signatures needed for referendum proposals.
Former Democratic Progressive Party Chairman Lin Yi-hsiung said that the bar for voter turnout for referendums is unreasonably high. He said that the high threshold has prevented the public from voting on many initiatives through referendums. Other activists said key cross-strait policies should be held to referendums.
Meanwhile, Deputy Interior Minister Jonathan Chen says that the government has sent amendments to the Assembly and Parade Act to the legislature.The amendment will remove the requirement that protestors receive formal permission from the government and allow them to protest by simply notifying the authorities in advance.
The civic groups had notified the government about Wednesday’s demonstration beforehand. Chen said he believes the protests will proceed peacefully. But he added that any occupation of public areas will be dealt with in accordance with the law.