TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Kuomintang (KMT) said on Saturday (Feb. 20) that it has collected about 600,000 signatures for each of its two proposed referendums— on ractopamine pork and referendum scheduling.

The KMT announced at a press release Saturday morning that 608,035 people have signed the referendum protesting pork imports containing ractopamine. Meanwhile, the second referendum asking if referendums should be held on the same day as nationwide elections if within six months of an approved referendum proposal, has 598,229 signatures, CNA reported.

The KMT pointed out the speed with which it was able to collect so many signatures — in just 40 days — demonstrates how dissatisfied the public is. The people will teach the government a harsh lesson on Aug. 28, the day of the referendums, for implementing arbitrary policies, the KMT said.

The party also stated that it has surpassed the threshold for a referendum proposal to continue and that it will carry out a thorough review of the signatures, not only to ensure the referendum is successful but also to avoid any cataloging errors.

The KMT said that after a review, the signatures will be sent to the election committee as soon as possible. The party called on the election committee to remain nonpartisan during its review process so that Taiwanese can freely express their opinions about “unsuitable policies” on Aug. 28.