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The Taiwanese civil code has asked for more than seven million votes in a referendum demanding that marriage be recognized only by one man and one woman, while another calling to regulate same-sex unions under the law, says the law. a separate law has raised more than six million.[Courtesy]
Voters in Taiwan backed Saturday's anti-gay marriage referendums in what LGBT activists have described as a major attack on the island's reputation as a pioneer of human rights .
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The result came at the end of a dramatic evening in which Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen resigned from his position as leader of the ruling Progressive Democratic Party (DPP) after suffering significant defeats in recent years. mid-term polls, a serious blow to his – election in 2020.
The Kuomintang (KMT), the main opposition in favor of Beijing, progressed in the face of growing pressure from China on the island.
In addition to voting for village-to-town seats, there were 10 registered referendums, including pro and anti-gay marriage proposals.
The Taiwanese civil code has asked for more than seven million votes in a referendum demanding that marriage be recognized only by one man and one woman, while another calling to regulate same-sex unions under the law, says the law. a separate law has raised more than six million.
Gay rights advocates had proposed that the Civil Code give same-sex couples the same marriage rights, but only three million votes.
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The Coalition for the Happiness of our Rising Generation said that this victory was a "victory for all those who cherish family values".
Jennifer Lu, a spokeswoman for the Taiwan Marriage Equality Coalition, said she was saddened by what she termed "absurd referendums" and blamed the government for "incompetence". Authorize anti-gay votes on marriage.
Taiwan's highest court has legalized same-sex marriage in May 2017, the first place in Asia to do so, and ruled it should be introduced within two years, but the government has scarcely progressed against the opposition of conservative groups.
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Although the government has made it clear that the results of the referendum would not affect the court's initial decision to legalize same-sex marriage, LGBT activists fear that their newly won rights may be weakened.
With the Conservative vote exceeding the threshold of 25% eligible electors, the government must, under the Referendum Act, take steps to reflect the result
– The future of Tsai in doubt –
Tsai and his Progressive Democratic Party (DPP) have been confronted with a growing response to domestic reforms as well as the deterioration of their relations with China, which still considers Taiwan autonomous as part of its territory. and must be reunited.
Tsai told the press that she would assume "full responsibility" for the defeat as she resigned from the party presidency.
The KMT, which oversaw an unprecedented thaw with Beijing before Tsai took office in 2016, has won 15 of 22 city and county seats, compared to only six in the elections.
The PDP, which had 13 seats, won only six and lost its traditional bastion of Kaohsiung City for the first time in 20 years.
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The seat of the mayor of Taipei is yet to be announced.
Beijing has stepped up pressure on Taiwan under Tsai, stepped up military maneuvers, poached diplomatic allies and managed to convince international companies to list the island on the list of Chinese sites.
The PDP is traditionally independenceist and Tsai refused to recognize Beijing's position that Taiwan is part of the "One China", unlike its KMT predecessor, Ma Ying-jeou.
Asked about the elections, a spokesman for the Taiwanese Affairs Office in Beijing said the results reflected "the strong will of the Taiwanese public to share the benefits of peaceful development in the Taiwan Strait," reported on Sunday. the Xinhua official news agency. .
Ma Xiaoguang added that China would continue "to resolutely oppose the separatist elements advocating" Taiwan independence "and their activities".
Before the vote, Tsai and PDP officials repeatedly accused China of interfering in the run-up to the elections by organizing a "false information" campaign. Beijing denied the allegations.
Taiwan's investigative bureau also said it was investigating China's influence over the elections by funding candidates for election campaigns.
The KMT – which lost power and its majority in parliament two years ago when the public feared it was too close to Beijing – called the vote of censorship vote against Tsai before the vote, promising to revive the economy and promote peaceful relations with China.
Some analysts said the defeat pushed Tsai out of the presidential bid in 2020.
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But others said she could still run, in the absence of an obvious successor.
Observers believe that pension cuts and labor market reforms have angered MPs, including reducing the number of holidays, as well as fears that tensions with Beijing will hurt local businesses.
"Defeat is definitely hurting Tsai's chances in 2020," said Shih Cheng-feng, a political analyst at Taiwan's Dong Hwa National University, who attributed the results to "widespread public discontent" over the reforms. interior.
A referendum proposing to change the name under which Taiwan participates in international sports events and has already angered China has been beaten by 5.5 million votes, 4.6 million people.
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