Dissemination of recall polling data prohibited from July 16: CEC

Taipei, July 3 (CNA) Starting July 16, 10 days before the first wave of recall votes on July 26, it will be illegal to publish or distribute recall polling data in Taiwan, the Central Election Commission (CEC) said Thursday.

Recall votes for 24 Kuomintang (KMT) legislators and suspended Hsinchu Mayor Ann Kao (高虹安), formerly a member of the Taiwan People's Party, are scheduled to take place on that date.

The CEC said in a press release that, under the Public Officials Election and Recall Act, all individuals and political parties are forbidden from disseminating, reporting, spreading, commenting on and citing recall polling data or related information from July 16-26.

All polls before the restricted period must clearly cite the name of the pollster, the survey period, sampling method, population size, sample size, margin of error, and source of funding, the CEC said.

Individuals and political parties are strictly prohibited from conducting public recall campaign activities before 7 a.m. or after 10 p.m., and on the date of the vote, the CEC added.

Online and media-based recall advertisements, which are less disruptive, are not subject to such time restrictions, said the CEC.

Meanwhile, except for Taiwan Public Television Service and non-profit TV channels, other radio and TV stations are permitted to run paid-for slots for or against recall campaigns, according to the CEC. However, starting at 12 a.m. on July 26, no ads can be printed in newspapers or magazines, broadcast on radio or TV, or appear on the Internet.

All advertisements must include the producer's name, source of funding and other relevant information, according to the CEC.

The CEC noted that news reports and media programs must treat both sides fairly, and campaign funding from foreign sources, including China, Hong Kong, and Macao, is strictly prohibited.