Taipei: Two Kuomintang (KMT) referendum proposals focusing on “opposing the abolition of the death penalty” and “opposing martial law” have been scheduled for discussion in the legislative plenary session on Friday before being put to a vote.

According to Focus Taiwan, the agenda-setting motion was approved on Tuesday during a meeting of the Legislative Yuan’s Procedure Committee. In this committee, the KMT and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) have a majority, while lawmakers from the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) voted against the motion.

One of the KMT’s proposals seeks a national referendum to prevent the abolition of the death penalty, which, although legal in Taiwan, is rarely enforced. The second proposal calls for opposition to martial law in Taiwan, responding to President Lai Ching-te’s suggestion in March to reinstate military trials. Taiwan experienced martial law from 1949 to 1987, during a period of KMT authoritarian rule before the country’s democratization began in the 1980s.

On Tuesday, the opposition’s move to push the two proposals came after the expiration of the mandatory one-month negotiation period required for bills involving interparty disputes before they can advance to a second reading. On March 25, the KMT and TPP directly advanced the proposals to a second reading without committee review, following an unsuccessful attempt by the DPP to block them from being included on the legislative agenda.

In response, the DPP proposed a motion during the Procedural Committee meeting, claiming that the March 25 legislative session was illegal. The proposal also sought to have 62 lawmakers from the KMT, TPP, and independents sent to the Discipline Committee for allegedly violating statutory meeting procedures and disrupting legislative order. However, this DPP proposal was voted down by KMT and TPP legislators and was not included in the agenda for discussion.