Word: referendums
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...Chen, 52, is taking the biggest gamble of his political career and, in the process, whipping up an international storm. At issue is his surprise announcement on Nov. 29 that he intended to use powers afforded him under a new referendum law to hold a popular vote to "protect our country's sovereignty." Many interpreted that to mean Chen was flirting with the idea of a referendum on independence?an action that China has consistently threatened would lead...
...sense of urgency" in Beijing's reaction. "The U.S. conveyed a message to us that had come directly from China," says the official. The warning worked?to a degree. Chen reiterated a commitment made at his inauguration in 2000 to not change Taiwan's status and vowed that any referendum would not touch on "independence or reunification." Instead, he told the New York Times, he'd organize a plebiscite that calls on China to remove the nearly 500 missiles aimed at Taiwan and demand that Beijing renounce the use of force against the island...
...Chen might never have won the presidency in 2000 if China had not branded him a "dangerous separatist" whose election would bring war to the Taiwan Strait. Taiwanese, tired of China's bellicose rhetoric, rallied around him. But this time, until the referendum issue erupted, Beijing had deliberately held its fire. That, coupled with a steady drop in Chen's popularity over the years, apparently forced the President to seek a fresh squabble with China. "China is a useful enemy for Chen," says Su Chi, a senior policy adviser to the opposition Kuomintang (KMT) party. "It's a scarecrow...
...People First Party, are fielding a joint candidate, KMT chairman Lien Chan, so as not to split the vote. The opposition has attacked Chen's administrative performance, blaming frequent policy flip-flops in the past few years for having aggravated Taiwan's poor economy. Still, by harping on the referendum issue, Chen has managed to achieve two key election objectives: telegraphing to his hard-core supporters, who want independence, that he has not forgotten about protecting the island's sovereignty, and belatedly provoking an irate reaction from Beijing. His critics in Taiwan fear he has gone...
...next year. Denktash has agreed to step down as chief negotiator in peace talks if his party loses, effectively clearing the way for reunification negotiations to begin next year. Closing In VENEZUELA Opposition leaders said that more than 3.6 million people signed a petition demanding a recall referendum on President Hugo Chávez - well above the 2.4 million required to trigger a vote. If the official results confirm the figures, the referendum could be held next spring...