DPP referendum draft frozen in procedural committee

With ten days left before the election and four days for a potential compromise, The DPP draft referendum bill went before the procedural committee today. This bill was bottled up by the KMT, which controls all committees, and will not be on the next legeslative agenda.

The DPP amendments, which make holding a referendum easier and lower the turnout threshold, are being floated with an implicit promise that the referendum date would be moved in the event that the threshold is lowered. A different referendum date could, in turn, make a boycott of the referendums less likely and increase the chances that both will pass.

DPP presidential candidate Frank Hsieh said the DPP has already yielded on its position twice and hopes the compromise will be adequate to satisfy the KMT. He expressed his fear that a boycotted or rejected referendum bid on entering the UN would hurt Taiwan's international position.

Unless something big happens in the next three days, the referendums will go ahead with the elections.