TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Premier Chen Chien-jen expressed Tuesday (March 12) that the Executive Yuan currently has no specific plans to implement absentee voting. The announcement came amidst the Kuomintang's (KMT) legislative caucus's efforts to promote absentee voting in the presidential election, a proposition criticized as unconstitutional.
Chen emphasized that if Taiwan intends to introduce absentee voting, it would be essential to bolster electoral procedures. Addressing concerns about secrecy, accuracy, and impartiality in elections would require extensive discussions.
Minister of the Interior Lin Yu-chang echoed Chen's caution, stating that the scope of absentee voting covers a broader range of issues than those typically considered, and brings many new challenges to the table.
Lin stressed that it would be inappropriate to single out specific demographics for early implementation of absentee voting, calling instead for extensive discussions and consensus-building. He stated that singling out particular social groups for absentee ballots would risk skewing the democratic process in an unfair direction.
These comments reveal the government's cautious approach to a politically charged issue in a democratically vibrant Taiwan. It indicates that any changes to election procedures will be rigorously examined, debated, and processed before implementation, underscoring Taiwan's commitment to robust and fair democratic practices.