TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — DPP Legislator Wu Szu-yao (吳思瑤) on Monday defended the Central Election Commission’s (CEC) decision to reject a proposed referendum on the death penalty, calling opposition criticism politically motivated.

The referendum proposal asked whether public support existed for requiring unanimous court rulings in death penalty cases, per UDN. CEC Chair Li Chin-yung (李進勇) said in March that although he had not yet reviewed the proposal in detail, the question was based on a premise that did not reflect existing law, rendering it illogical.

Wu accused the KMT and TPP of using the referendum issue to rally support amid ongoing recall campaigns targeting opposition lawmakers. She urged the KMT to avoid prioritizing "politically expedient topics."

KMT Legislator Lo Chih-chiang (羅智強) called the veto unconstitutional, while KMT lawmaker Wu Tsung-hsien (吳宗憲) said the decision violated the Referendum Act and undermined the principle of separation of powers, per CNA. KMT Legislator Ko Jui-chun (葛如鈞) also questioned the commission’s neutrality.

Soochow University law professor Su Tzu-chiao (蘇子喬) acknowledged that the proposal’s wording was flawed but argued that the commission lacks legal authority under the Organization Act of the Central Election Commission to veto a legislative initiative, per TVBS. He also raised a broader legal issue: whether a referendum can overturn a Constitutional Court ruling.

Su emphasized that to maintain public trust, the commission should avoid political entanglements. He noted that while the CEC can conduct limited reviews of citizen-initiated referendums, it is not authorized to reject those initiated by the legislature.

TPP Chair Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) on Friday criticized the commission’s decision as undemocratic, likening it to the now-defunct Referendum Review Committee, which had the authority to approve or reject proposals, per ETtoday.

KMT Legislator Hung Mong-kai (洪孟楷) also accused the CEC of shielding what he described as the government’s de facto abolition of the death penalty, per China Times.