CEC approves nuclear policy referendum, rejects caning, traffic fine proposals

Taipei, Aug. 28 (CNA) Taiwan's Central Election Commission (CEC) on Friday approved a referendum on abolishing the government's nuclear-free energy policy for a vote alongside November's local elections, while rejecting proposals on judicial caning and the use of traffic fine revenue.

CEC Chairman Michael You (游盈隆) announced the decisions after a 2.5-hour meeting of the commission.

The approved referendum asks whether the government should abolish its "Nuclear-Free Homeland" policy to protect public health, ensure stable and affordable electricity supplies, strengthen national defense resilience and support the development of artificial intelligence industries.

The policy was enshrined in the Basic Environment Act in 2002, while the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), after returning to power in 2016, pursued a phaseout of nuclear power that was completed in May 2025 when the Maanshan Nuclear Power Plant's final reactor was shut down.

The referendum will be Taiwan's fourth on nuclear power since 2018.

Voters in 2018 backed removing a legal requirement to end nuclear power generation by 2025, but proposals to restart the mothballed Fourth Nuclear Power Plant and extend the operation of the Maanshan plant were rejected in referendums in 2021 and 2025.

You said the CEC rejected the other two proposals because they did not fall within the scope of matters that can be put to a referendum under Article 2 of the Referendum Act.

One proposal sought to introduce judicial caning for people convicted of offenses including sexual assault, child abuse and certain serious fraud crimes.

The other asked whether all revenue from traffic violation fines should be earmarked for road safety improvements and public transportation subsidies rather than increased use of automated traffic enforcement equipment.

The Legislature approved all three referendum proposals on Aug. 14 and sent them to the CEC for review. The caning proposal was backed only by the Kuomintang (KMT), which holds 52 of the Legislature's 113 seats.

The KMT caucus criticized the CEC's rejection of the caning and traffic fine proposals, accusing the commission of restricting the public's right to direct democracy.

Taiwan People's Party (TPP) Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) also criticized the rejection of the traffic fine proposal, saying the decision infringed on citizens' constitutional rights.

You said the seven commissioners unanimously rejected the caning proposal, while the traffic fine proposal was rejected 4-3.

The nuclear policy proposal was approved 6-0, with one commissioner abstaining. You, who chaired the meeting, did not vote.

The nuclear policy referendum will be held alongside Taiwan's nine-in-one local elections on Nov. 28, when voters will elect city and county leaders, local councilors and other local officials.