Republic of China United Nations membership referendum, 2008
Encyclopedia
Republic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
(Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
) in the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
were put to Republic of China
Republic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
voters on March 22, 2008, the same day as the presidential election.
The first referendum question, supported by the Democratic Progressive Party
Democratic Progressive Party
The Democratic Progressive Party is a political party in Taiwan, and the dominant party in the Pan-Green Coalition. Founded in 1986, DPP is the first meaningful opposition party in Taiwan. It has traditionally been associated with strong advocacy of human rights and a distinct Taiwanese identity,...
(DPP) of President
President of the Republic of China
The President of the Republic of China is the head of state and commander-in-chief of the Republic of China . The Republic of China was founded on January 1, 1912, to govern all of China...
Chen Shui-bian
Chen Shui-bian
Chen Shui-bian is a former Taiwanese politician who was the 10th and 11th-term President of the Republic of China from 2000 to 2008. Chen, whose Democratic Progressive Party has traditionally been supportive of Taiwan independence, ended more than fifty years of Kuomintang rule in Taiwan...
, asked whether voters agree that the government should seek United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
membership under the name "Taiwan". The second referendum question, supported by the Kuomintang
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
(KMT), which on the same day won the presidential election, asked whether voters supported "our nation" seek to "return" to the United Nations and join other international organisations under "flexible and practical strategies", including joining as "Republic of China
Republic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
", "Taiwan", or any other name that aids success and national dignity.
The ROC Central Election Commission has declared the failure of both referendums due to low turnout. The presidential election held at the same time had a turn out rate at 76.33%.
Politics
The format of the referendums has been controversial, with much of the discussion occurring before the Republic of China transitional justice referendum held in January 2008.Note that while the two referendums are each supported by one of the two major parties in Taiwan, they both stand formally as voter-initiated, rather than government-sponsored, referendums. Furthermore, while the KMT initiated one of the two referendums, it has encouraged its voters to at least boycott the DPP-initiated referendum, and expressed its understanding if supporters chose to boycott both referendums. In practice, while KMT officials such as presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou
Ma Ying-jeou
Ma Ying-jeou is the 12th term and current President of the Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan, and the Chairman of the Kuomintang Party, also known as the Chinese Nationalist Party. He formerly served as Justice Minister from 1993 to 1996, Mayor of Taipei from 1998 to 2006, and Chairman...
and chairman Wu Po-hsiung received ballot papers for the KMT-sponsored referendum, their family and other KMT officials, such as chairman emeritus Lien Chan
Lien Chan
Lien Chan is a politician in Taiwan. He was Premier of the Republic of China from 1993 to 1997, Vice President of the Republic of China from 1996 to 2000, and was the Chairman of the Kuomintang from 2000 to 2005...
refused to take ballot papers for either referendum. Former president Lee Teng-hui
Lee Teng-hui
Lee Teng-hui is a politician of the Republic of China . He was the 7th, 8th, and 9th-term President of the Republic of China and Chairman of the Kuomintang from 1988 to 2000. He presided over major advancements in democratic reforms including his own re-election which marked the first direct...
did not take either ballot paper, which he said was because he "forgot" to bring the documentation, although reporters at the scene pointed out to him that he did not need documentation to vote. The low number of voters participating in the referendums meant that neither reached the minimum threshold of participation by 50% of all eligible voters to become effective. DPP officials, including president Chen Shui-bian
Chen Shui-bian
Chen Shui-bian is a former Taiwanese politician who was the 10th and 11th-term President of the Republic of China from 2000 to 2008. Chen, whose Democratic Progressive Party has traditionally been supportive of Taiwan independence, ended more than fifty years of Kuomintang rule in Taiwan...
, called on voters to vote in both referendums.
Question 5
National Referendum Proposal No. 5 was first initiated by You Si-kun (Yu Shyi-kunYu Shyi-kun
Yu Shyi-kun , a Taiwanese politician of the Democratic Progressive Party, is a former chairman of the Democratic Progressive Party in Taiwan. He previously served as Premier of the Republic of China from 2002 to 2005...
), former Premier of the ROC and former chairman of the Democratic Progressive Party. The topic was "Application to become a new member of the United Nations under the name “Taiwan”"
Question 6
National Referendum Proposal No. 6 was first initiated by Vincent SiewVincent Siew
Vincent C. Siew Wan-chang is the incumbent Vice President of the Republic of China. He was the first Taiwanese-born Premier of the Republic of China and former vice-chairman of the Kuomintang .-Biography:...
, former Premier of the ROC and current Vice President-elect.
Both referendums were invalidated since turnout were below the minimum requirement of 50% of registered voters.
External responses
: The United States Department of StateUnited States Department of State
The United States Department of State , is the United States federal executive department responsible for international relations of the United States, equivalent to the foreign ministries of other countries...
has stated that it opposed a referendum on membership in the United Nations. While it strongly supports Taiwan's democratic development and is not opposed to referendums in principle, it is against "any initiative that appears designed to change Taiwan's status unilaterally." In September 2007, Zogby International
Zogby International
IBOPE Zogby International is an international market research, opinion polling firm founded in 1984 by John Zogby. The company polls and consults for a wide spectrum of business media, government, and political groups, and conducts public opinion research in more than 70 countries...
conducted an opinion poll
Opinion poll
An opinion poll, sometimes simply referred to as a poll is a survey of public opinion from a particular sample. Opinion polls are usually designed to represent the opinions of a population by conducting a series of questions and then extrapolating generalities in ratio or within confidence...
on the support of this referendum, the result shows over 61% of Americans
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
believe that the US government should support the referendum.
: A Japanese company also conducted a poll on the same issue; the result shows over 74% Japanese
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
support Taiwan's entry into the UN, and over 81% support the referendum. However, this referendum has not become a major political issue in either the United States or Japan.
: The People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
made relatively few comments on the issue. It argued that the referendum would "endanger peace and stability across the Strait and the Asia-Pacific region.", and was "pinning hope on the Taiwan people" and will keep promoting cross-Strait exchanges to strengthen opposition to secessionist forces. It had stated that it appreciated the US opposition to the referendum. After the referendums were defeated due to low voter turnout, the Taiwan Affairs Office
Taiwan Affairs Office
The Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council is an administrative agency under the State Council of the People's Republic of China. It is responsible for setting and implementing guidelines and policies related to Taiwan, as stipulated by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and...
of the State Council of the People's Republic of China
State Council of the People's Republic of China
The State Council of the People's Republic of China , which is largely synonymous with the Central People's Government after 1954, is the chief administrative authority of the People's Republic of China. It is chaired by the Premier and includes the heads of each governmental department and agency...
commented that the results showed the lack of popular support for independence in Taiwan. The Bureau also expressed optimism for the two governments to work together to maintain cross-strait peace and aid development in future.
Domestic reaction to international reactions
Taiwan president Chen Shui-bian has accused both the United States and the European UnionEuropean Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
of caving into PRC pressure over the referendum.
Opinion polling
- Referendum on applying for United Nations membership under the name of "Taiwan"
Polling firm Date Source For Against TVBS 17 July 2007 PDF 46 29 United Daily News 14 September 2007 HTML 43 31 TVBS 19 September 2007 PDF 34 51 TVBS 18 January 2008 PDF 33 52
- Referendum on flexible participation in international organizations
Polling firm Date Source For Against TVBS 19 September 2007 PDF 18 67 TVBS 18 January 2008 PDF 17 68
Note: Opinion polls may be subjected to sampling biases.