Taiwan's opposition-controlled parliament has voted to hold three referendums, including controversial proposals to implement caning for sex crimes and fraud, and to revive the island's nuclear power program. The referendums, initiated by lawmakers rather than through citizen petition, must still receive formal approval from the election commission, which will set the voting date.
These measures are expected to be held concurrently with local elections for city mayors and county chiefs on November 28. This strategy, supported by the opposition Kuomintang (KMT) party, aims to boost voter turnout, a crucial factor for referendum success. To pass, at least 25% of eligible voters must vote in favor, meaning approximately five million 'yes' votes are required, and these must outnumber 'no' votes.
The proposal to cane offenders convicted of sex crimes and fraud is one of the most contentious. While caning is not a legal punishment in Indonesia, it is practiced in the Aceh province under its strict Sharia Law, drawing international condemnation. In July, a woman in Aceh became the first person publicly caned for committing obscenity via social media, an act that involved kissing during a TikTok livestream. Images from similar incidents show individuals screaming in pain as masked officers administer the punishment.
Indonesia's Aceh province is unique in enforcing a version of Sharia Law, which criminalizes same-sex relationships and sex outside marriage. Critics, including Amnesty International Indonesia, have denounced the caning as a "horrifying act of discrimination" and called for an end to corporal punishment.
The second referendum, also proposed by the KMT, seeks to overturn Taiwan's "nuclear-free homeland" policy. The island shut down its last nuclear reactor in May 2025 as part of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) commitment to a nuclear-free future by that year. The KMT's proposal calls for the government to abolish this policy, potentially leading to the revival of nuclear power.
The third referendum, initiated by the smaller Taiwan People's Party (TPP), which often aligns with the KMT, focuses on implementing traffic fines to improve road safety.
Lawmakers from the ruling DPP voted against holding any of the three referendums. Previous referendums in Taiwan have faced high approval thresholds. In August of the previous year, a referendum to reopen Taiwan's last nuclear plant failed to reach the required turnout. In 2018, voters approved referendums opposing marriage equality, yet same-sex marriage was legalized the following year when parliament enacted a court ruling deeming the ban unconstitutional.
If the referendums pass, the Cabinet will have three months to submit relevant legislation to parliament for approval. However, as seen in the 2018 marriage equality example, parliamentary approval does not always directly follow the outcome of a referendum.