DPP lawmakers seeking to mandate national holiday on election eve

Taipei, Dec. 1 (CNA) Legislators of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) have introduced a bill to designate election eve in Taiwan as a national holiday.

The bill was put forth on Friday, one year ahead of Taiwan's 2026 local government elections.

DPP lawmaker Chung Chia-pin (鍾佳濱), one of the bill's sponsors, said Sunday that making election eve a national holiday would give voters more time to travel to the constituencies where they are registered to cast their ballots.

In Taiwan, elections are usually held on a Saturday, which means the proposed holiday would fall on a Friday, according to Chung.

Meanwhile, opposition Kuomintang (KMT) lawmaker and spokesperson Niu Hsu-ting (牛煦庭) said Sunday that the party caucus will review and consolidate a series of bills drafted by its members to introduce absentee voting in Taiwan.

The DPP, however, has long opposed absentee voting, citing concerns over potential Chinese infiltration and possible technical complications within the current electoral system.

Implementing absentee voting without proper electoral oversight mechanisms could result in unfair elections, Chung said Sunday.