With regard to the results of the four referendums which took place today, it is with regret that there is still room for improvement. First, the voting rate was significantly different from general elections, indicating that referendums held on a date other than Election Day are unlikely to attract voters’ attention. Second, voters are not used to or are less interested in expressing preference on public policy only. The fact that all four referendum voting results did not reach the threshold to validate legally-binding outcomes, has testified that our position on combining referendum with general elections has always been correct. Finally, Taiwan’s democratic practice has not matured to the level that people may have expected.
The results of Taiwanese voters’ positions on the four referendum issues should be examined and based not only on voting results, but also various polls before voting day. Scientific polls remain valid for policy reviews. Domestic debates on all four referendums will not subside after today’s election. Therefore, the voting result should not be interpreted as a victory or loss of any person (initiator of the referendum) or any party. There is no winner or loser today.
The KMT will stand by our positions on food safety, environmental protection, safe and affordable energy, and reform of electoral procedures. We will conduct internal review sessions to look into organization and/or mobilization performance, communication and public campaigns, and lessons learned to formulate our future campaign strategies for 2022 and 2024.
