Taiwan's election commission blocked two proposed public votes, and the opposition KMT calls it a rollback of direct democracy.

• The Central Election Commission ruled that referendums on adding caning as a criminal penalty and on earmarking traffic fines for road safety do not qualify as major policy questions.
• A separate referendum on scrapping the nuclear-free homeland policy was approved and will go forward.
• The KMT caucus says the commission is acting as a gatekeeper of public opinion and demands it publish the full legal reasoning.
• The caning proposal had been signed by 52 lawmakers and passed the legislature, which its backers say gives it clear democratic legitimacy.
• The fight lands on top of an already tense split between the KMT-led legislature and the DPP government.

Outlook: Expect the KMT to keep pressing the commission for its reasoning and to look for legal or legislative ways to revive the blocked votes.