The picture shows the coast of Waimu Mountain.

(file photo)

[Reporter Wu Shuwei/Taipei Report] The Keelung region promoted a "sea protection referendum" to oppose Keelung's Waimushan coast reclamation to set up a fourth natural gas receiving station (fourth connection). The outside world questioned that the Ministry of the Interior confiscated the referendum.

The Central Election Committee pointed out that local referendums are approved by the local governments in accordance with the law, not by the election agencies or the Ministry of the Interior and other relevant ministries and committees. There is no possibility of confiscating local referendums.

The Central Election Commission pointed out today that the Central Election Commission is the competent authority of the "Referendum Law", and according to the law, referendums are divided into national referendums and local referendums.

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The Central Election Committee mentioned that the local referendum proposals shall be proposed by the leading person of the proposer of the local referendum to the governments of the municipalities, counties and cities in accordance with the referendum law and the autonomous regulations of the municipalities, counties and cities. The review of regulations, the establishment of legislative principles of local autonomy regulations, and the creation or review of major policies on local autonomy matters are subject to approval and refutation by the local governments in accordance with the law, not by relevant ministries such as the electoral agency or the Ministry of the Interior. Make a decision to reject.

The Central Election Committee stated that if the specific local referendum proposals reported in the recent newspapers are proposed to the Keelung City Government, the Keelung City Government shall, in accordance with the provisions of the Referendum Law and the Keelung City Referendum Autonomous Regulations, consider whether the referendum proposal is If there is any doubt about a matter of local autonomy, it should be reported to the Executive Yuan for determination, and the Ministry of the Interior will be appointed by the Executive Yuan to handle it according to the law. Finally, the local government should approve and reject the local referendum case in accordance with the law.

The Central Election Committee emphasized that "it was not reported in the newspapers or by a specific person that the Ministry of the Interior approved local referendums." For misunderstandings in the report, the Selected Committee will give special explanations based on the position of the competent legal authority.