馬英九總統今天下午表示，儘管許多人對廢除死刑議題有很強的信念，但社會共識仍然相當重要，這個議題必須在整個社會就法律、社會教育等各方面得到共識，才能有效推動。從目前的趨勢來看，有期徒刑延長、無期徒刑假釋條件從嚴及減少死刑執行應該是我國未來的可行方向。
總統是在下午接見由萊斯教授（Thomas S. Rice）所率領的國際廢除死刑NGO代表團一行時作了以上表示。
Public opinion is a factor selectively ignored or drawn upon by policymakers presenting their case, and the death penalty is no exception. In eight years in office, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) failed to carry out one of its professed goals: to abolish capital punishment. As it left office with the death penalty intact, the administration said its hands were tied because a majority of the public believed the death penalty to be an effective deterrent to violent crime.
The administration of President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) looks set to follow suit. The public can expect the Cabinet to cite opinion polls when it suits the administration and to turn a deaf ear on issues that do not serve its interests. When it comes to the death penalty, however, the new administration is already echoing the DPP.
Minister of Justice Wang Ching-feng (王清峰) lost no time after the inauguration in promising to consider abolishing the death penalty. In the same breath, however, she warned that she had no clue how to go about achieving this goal, as it would run counter to public opinion. Almost 80 percent of the public supports capital punishment, Wang said, a figure also cited by the DPP.
