Opponents, supporters react after nuclear plant referendum fails

Taipei, Aug. 23 (CNA) A referendum on restarting Taiwan's Third Nuclear Power Plant drew mixed reactions on Saturday, as most who voted favored the extension, but low turnout prevented it from reaching the required affirmative threshold.

The ballot asked: "Do you agree that the Maanshan Nuclear Power Plant should continue operating once the competent authority has confirmed that there are no safety concerns?"

According to the Central Election Commission (CEC), of the 5,906,370 ballots cast, 4,341,432 people (74 percent) were for "yes," while 1,511,693 (26 percent) were for "no."

Although overall turnout reached 29.53 percent, the number of affirmative votes fell short of the 25 percent of eligible voters, or 5,000,523 ballots, required for approval.

Anti-nuclear groups criticized the vote as "political manipulation," arguing that many anti-nuclear supporters chose to abstain to protest perceived unfair political tactics.

According to the National Nuclear Abolition Action Platform, the referendum was rushed by the legislature, lacked broad citizen support, and provided insufficient public information.

The Green Citizens' Action Alliance said the results highlighted the limitations of party-driven mobilization, noting that efforts by the opposition Kuomintang (KMT) and Taiwan People's Party (TPP) did not succeed in meeting the turnout requirement.

Pingtung County Magistrate Chou Chun-mi (周春米) of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said the fact that over 70 percent of eligible voters abstained signals broad public disapproval of extending Maanshan's operation.

Yet TPP Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) said the "yes" votes were nearly three times the "no" votes, signaling strong societal support for nuclear energy despite the low turnout.

Huang also pointed out that in Pingtung County, home to the Maanshan Nuclear Plant, affirmative votes far outnumbered negative ones, reflecting local willingness to accept nuclear power as a stable energy source.

He added that the TPP will push for amendments to the Referendum Act in the next legislative session to dismantle what it calls the "caged referendum" system and better safeguard popular sovereignty.

Huang argued that the DPP effectively placed the referendum in a "bird cage" in 2019, when it passed amendments requiring national referendums to be held every two years on the fourth Saturday of August, rather than in conjunction with national elections.

KMT lawmaker Su Ching-chuan (蘇清泉) said that, despite failing to meet the legal threshold, the majority vote in favor of extending Maanshan clearly reflects public sentiment that the government should consider.