CEC Criticized for Scheduling By-election Away from Referendums 中二選區補選避年底公投 中選會淪箭靶

A by-election for Taichung's newly vacant legislative seat will be held on Jan. 9, three weeks after the national referendums, leading to questions of why the Central Election Commission didn't schedule the two on the same day.

A by-election to fill the vacant legislative seat left behind by recalled lawmaker Chen Po-wei will be held on Jan. 9. The Central Election Commission is being criticized for not scheduling the by-election on the same day as the public referendums on Dec. 18. CEC Chair Lee Chin-yung says public referendums have to do with policies and elections have to do with people, and the two shouldn't be mixed. Premier Su Tseng-chang agrees.

Su Tseng-chang, Premier, ROC: “A by-election is held to elect a person. A public referendum has to do with a policy. People and policies should not be mixed together. This is what's written in the laws.”

Lee Chin-yung, Chair, Central Election Commission, A public referendum has to do with a policy. An election or by-election has to do with a person. From a legal spirit perspective, there is no reason to combine a public referendum with an election. So, we hope everyone can stop wanting to mix the two together. With the public referendums approaching, the Democratic Progressive Party is on the offensive. In June, its Central Executive Committee approved a NT$58 million special budget. On Oct. 27, the party notified all local branches about allocations and subsidies, including up to NT$25,000 per person for billboards. The Kuomintang says the DPP can't escape the fate that the referendums will turn into a no-confidence vote against the Cabinet.

Chen Yu-jen, Legislator (KMT):“You can think of this as a vote for confidence in the government. If the number of yes votes greatly exceeds the number of not votes, Tsai Ing-wen, as the leader of the nation, will have to think about the people she has surrounded herself with in the Su Cabinet. She also has to think about whether she can win back public trust. You can think of this as a referendum to no-confidence vote against the Cabinet.”

Chen Ting-fei, Legislator (DPP): “From the past until now, the party has always allocated funds for various activities and everyone shows up. There is no "overturning the Cabinet" issue.”

According to reports, the DPP is considering former lawmaker Lin Ching-yi as its candidate in the by-election. Chen says he will campaign for Lin.

Chen Po-wei, Former Legislator (TSP): “You have to be tough on the outside and soft on the inside. In the political arena, her role is very similar to mine. I will do everything I can to help.”

There is a lot at stake for both the pan-blue and pan-green with the referendums widely regarded as a warmup for the by-election.

 

台灣基進黨立委陳柏惟被罷免解職，中選會宣布台中市第二選區補選將在明年1月9日舉辦，被質疑刻意與12月18日四大公投錯開，中選會主委李進勇呼籲就事論事，行政院長蘇貞昌也出面緩頰。

行政院長蘇貞昌表示:「補選是選人，公投是對事，這本來就是人跟事分開，也是立法院的法律規定。」
 

中選會主委李進勇表示:「公投是對事，那麼選舉罷免補選，這個都是對人的，在法治的精神上，那麼公投跟選舉，它們沒有合併的相關規定，同時我們希望大家，都能就事論事。」

面對四大公投案，民進黨積極備戰，今年6月中執會通過5800萬特別預算外，27日黨中央更發函到各地方黨部，公布黨公職公投宣導花費補助行情，其中，在戶外懸掛看板，每人最高可補助2萬5千元，國民黨質疑民進黨黨國不分，最終會演變成倒閣公投。

國民黨立委陳玉珍表示:「等於是對政府政策的信任投票，如果到時候同意票遠大於不同意票，投出來以後，那蔡英文，身為我國的元首，她就必須思考她所任用的，蘇內閣是不是適用，是不是還可以獲得人民的信任，所以它的結果，可能變成一個倒閣的公投。」

民進黨立委陳亭妃表示:「從過去到現在，中央黨部只要有活動，就會去編列預算，全部從上到下全員動起來，那沒有所謂倒閣不倒閣的問題。」

藍綠將戰場轉移到年底的四大公投，以及明年的中二選區補選，國民黨人選未明，民進黨傳出由前立委林靜儀出戰機率大，遭罷免的基進黨立委陳柏惟強調，一定會幫忙。

前立委陳柏惟表示:「對外強和對內溫暖，我覺得在這個政治的場域，她的角色跟我滿像的，我都會用百分百的力量來幫忙。」

距離中二補選還有兩個多月，藍綠已經展開布局，進入戰鬥準備，年底的四大公投，也被視為中二補選的前哨站。