Politics of the Republic of China

1895

According to the prosecutors, while Chen would not be indicted while in office, there is a possibility that he would be indicted after he leaves office. ==National identity== Roughly 84% of Taiwan's population descends from Han Chinese who migrated from mainland China between 1661 and 1895.

But between 1895 and the present, Taiwan and mainland China have shared a common government for only 4 years.

1911

Taiwanese citizens in Formosa and Pescadores were Japanese citizens until the end of World War II in 1945. ===Republic of China on Mainland China, 1911–1949=== The original founding of the Republic centered on the Three Principles of the People (): nationalism, democracy, and people's livelihood.

1912

Politics of this era consisted primarily of the political and military struggle between the KMT and the CCP in between bouts of active resistance against Japanese invasion. ===Political structure=== The first national government of the Chinese Republic was established on 1 January 1912, in Nanjing, with Sun Yat-sen as the provisional president.

1913

Foreign powers came to recognize Yuan's power as well: when Japan came to China with Twenty-One Demands, it was Yuan that submitted to them, on 25 May 1915. After the death of Yuan in 1916, the parliament of 1913 was reconvened to give legitimacy to a new government.

1915

Foreign powers came to recognize Yuan's power as well: when Japan came to China with Twenty-One Demands, it was Yuan that submitted to them, on 25 May 1915. After the death of Yuan in 1916, the parliament of 1913 was reconvened to give legitimacy to a new government.

1916

Foreign powers came to recognize Yuan's power as well: when Japan came to China with Twenty-One Demands, it was Yuan that submitted to them, on 25 May 1915. After the death of Yuan in 1916, the parliament of 1913 was reconvened to give legitimacy to a new government.

1927

However, this "five races under one union" principle and the corresponding flag were abandoned in 1927. In reality the three original principles were left unrealized.

1930

However, Chiang's influence never extended beyond the Yangtze Delta, and the rest of the country was under the effective control of former warlords, and Chiang faced insurrections from them throughout the 1930s, even after the Northern Expedition, which had nominally unified the country.

1940

Another significant fraction descends from Han Chinese who immigrated from mainland China in the 1940s and 1950s.

1945

Taiwanese citizens in Formosa and Pescadores were Japanese citizens until the end of World War II in 1945. ===Republic of China on Mainland China, 1911–1949=== The original founding of the Republic centered on the Three Principles of the People (): nationalism, democracy, and people's livelihood.

1947

The rest of the territories are divided into 3 cities and 13 counties. == Overview == The ROC is governed under the Constitution of the Republic of China which was drafted in 1947 before the fall of the Chinese mainland to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and outlined a government for all of China.

The president has authority over the five administrative branches (Yuan): Executive, Legislative, Control, Judicial, and Examination. ===National Assembly=== The National Assembly of the Republic of China was elected in mainland China in 1947 to officially carry out the duties of choosing the president, to amend the constitution, and to exercise the sovereignty of the citizens, but in actuality, the Assembly's role in Taipei seemed to reconfirm the executive powers of President Chang Kai-shek.

Because it was impossible to hold subsequent elections to represent constituencies in mainland China, representatives elected in 1947–48 held these seats "indefinitely." In June 1990, however, the Council of Grand Justices mandated the retirement, effective December 1991, of all remaining "indefinitely" elected members of the National Assembly, Legislative Yuan, and other bodies. The second National Assembly, elected in 1991, was composed of 325 members.

The President of the Republic appoints the Premier, who is officially the President of the Executive Yuan. ===Legislative Yuan=== The main lawmaking body, the Legislative Yuan (LY), was originally elected in 1947.

Like the National Assembly, representatives elected in 1947–48 held these seats "indefinitely" until the 1991 ruling.

1948

In 1987, he lifted the emergency decree, which had been in place since 1948 and which had granted virtually unlimited powers to the president for use in the anti-communist campaign.

1949

In keeping with that claim, when the KMT fled to Taipei in 1949, they re-established the full array of central political bodies, which had existed in mainland China in the de jure capital of Nanjing (Nanking).

1950

Another significant fraction descends from Han Chinese who immigrated from mainland China in the 1940s and 1950s.

1970

With the diplomatic isolation brought about in the 1970s and 1980s, the notion of "recovering the mainland" by force has been dropped and the Taiwanese localization movement strengthened.

1972

In 1972, then-Premier Chiang Ching-kuo began a concentrated effort to bring Taiwanese into more senior position in the central administration and the KMT.

1978

During the presidency of Chiang Ching-kuo from 1978 to 1988, Taiwan's political system began to undergo gradual liberalization. After the lifting of martial law, the opposition Democratic Progressive Party (民主進步黨) was formed and allowed to participate overtly in politics.

1980

With the diplomatic isolation brought about in the 1970s and 1980s, the notion of "recovering the mainland" by force has been dropped and the Taiwanese localization movement strengthened.

Steps by the government to redress past wrongs such as setting up a memorial to the victims of the February 28 Incident have contributed to this process. == Political conditions == Changes in the political process were the result of the liberalizing trend that began in the 1980s under President Chiang Ching-kuo.

1986

The "green" faction comes from the color of the Democratic Progressive Party and includes the Democratic Progressive Party and the Taiwan Statebuilding Party. Democratic Progressive Party After 1986, the KMT's hold on power was challenged by the emergence of competing political parties.

Before 1986, candidates opposing the KMT ran in elections as independents or "nonpartisans." Before the 1986 island-wide elections many "nonpartisans" grouped together to create Taiwan's first opposition party, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).

Despite the official ban on forming new political parties, the government authorities did not prohibit the DPP from operating, and in the 1986 elections DPP and independent candidates captured more than 20% of the vote. The Civic Organizations Law passed in 1989 allowed for the formation of new political parties, thereby legalizing the DPP, and its support and influence increased.

The recent downplaying of Taiwan independence by the DPP as a party, however, led to the formation by hard-line advocates of a new political party called the Taiwan Independence Party in December 1996. Kuomintang Until 1986, Taiwan's political system was effectively controlled by one party, the KMT, the leader of which also was the President.

1987

In 1987, he lifted the emergency decree, which had been in place since 1948 and which had granted virtually unlimited powers to the president for use in the anti-communist campaign.

Since 1987, when the ban on travel to mainland China was lifted, Taiwan residents have made more than 10 million trips to mainland China.

1988

During the presidency of Chiang Ching-kuo from 1978 to 1988, Taiwan's political system began to undergo gradual liberalization. After the lifting of martial law, the opposition Democratic Progressive Party (民主進步黨) was formed and allowed to participate overtly in politics.

After Chiang Ching-kuo died in 1988, Vice President Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) succeeded him as the first Taiwan-born president and chairman of the KMT.

Upon his accession to the presidency in January 1988, Lee Teng-hui, who is a native Taiwanese, continued this process.

Vice-President Lee Teng-hui succeeded Chiang Ching-kuo as president when Chiang died on 13 January 1988.

1989

Despite the official ban on forming new political parties, the government authorities did not prohibit the DPP from operating, and in the 1986 elections DPP and independent candidates captured more than 20% of the vote. The Civic Organizations Law passed in 1989 allowed for the formation of new political parties, thereby legalizing the DPP, and its support and influence increased.

1990

Because it was impossible to hold subsequent elections to represent constituencies in mainland China, representatives elected in 1947–48 held these seats "indefinitely." In June 1990, however, the Council of Grand Justices mandated the retirement, effective December 1991, of all remaining "indefinitely" elected members of the National Assembly, Legislative Yuan, and other bodies. The second National Assembly, elected in 1991, was composed of 325 members.

Lee was elected by the National Assembly to a 6-year term in 1990, marking the final time a president was elected by the National Assembly. Since ending martial law, the Republic of China has taken dramatic steps to improve respect for human rights and create a democratic political system.

1991

Significant amendments were made to the Constitution in 1991, and there have been a number of judicial interpretations made to take into account the fact that the Constitution covers a much smaller area than originally envisioned. The government in Taipei officially asserts to be the sole legitimate government of all of China, which it defined as including Taiwan, mainland China, and outer Mongolia.

While much of this structure remains in place, the President Lee Teng-hui in 1991 unofficially abandoned the government's claim of sovereignty over mainland China, stating that they do not "dispute the fact that the Communists control mainland China." However, the National Assembly has not officially changed the national borders, as doing so may be seen as a prelude to formal Taiwanese independence.

Because it was impossible to hold subsequent elections to represent constituencies in mainland China, representatives elected in 1947–48 held these seats "indefinitely." In June 1990, however, the Council of Grand Justices mandated the retirement, effective December 1991, of all remaining "indefinitely" elected members of the National Assembly, Legislative Yuan, and other bodies. The second National Assembly, elected in 1991, was composed of 325 members.

Like the National Assembly, representatives elected in 1947–48 held these seats "indefinitely" until the 1991 ruling.

1992

The second LY was elected in 1992.

In the 1992 and 1995 elections, the main opposition partythe Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)challenged the KMT dominance of the Legislature.

In the 1992 Legislative Yuan elections, the DPP won 51 seats in the 161-seat body.

Lee Teng-hui's characterization in 1999 of relations between the ROC and mainland China as "between two states" was denounced by the Chinese government; Lee partially changed his earlier statement and referred to the 1992 consensus between the ROC and the PRC.

President Chen has stated that such talks should be conducted on the basis of the "spirit of 1992," a reference to the agreement to hold the 1993 Singapore talks.

1993

The PFP currently had 17 members in the LY before the 2001 election, but increased its representation to over 40 in that election. New Party The New Party was formed in August 1993 by a group made up largely of second-generation mainlander KMT members who were unhappy both with corruption in the KMT and with what they saw as the "Taiwanization" of KMT ideology and leadership.

Prior to April 1993, when talks were held in Singapore between the heads of two private intermediary organizationsTaiwan's Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) and the PRC's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS)there had been some lower-level exchanges between the two sides of the Strait.

The April 1993 SEF-ARATS talks primarily addressed technical issues relating to cross-Strait interactions.

President Chen has stated that such talks should be conducted on the basis of the "spirit of 1992," a reference to the agreement to hold the 1993 Singapore talks.

1994

This National Assembly amended the constitution in 1994, paving the way for the direct election of the president and vice president that was held in March, 1996.

Winning the Taipei mayor's position in December 1994, significantly enhanced the DPP's image.

Most restrictions on the press have ended, restrictions on personal freedoms have been relaxed, and the prohibition against organizing new political parties has been lifted. As the National Assembly took action in 1994 to allow for the popular election of the president, the LY in 1994 passed legislation to allow for the direct election of the governor of Taiwan Province and the mayors of Taipei and Kaohsiung Municipalities.

These elections were held in December 1994, with the KMT winning the governor and Kaohsiung mayor posts, and the DPP winning the Taipei mayor's position.

1995

The third LY, elected in 1995, had 157 members serving 3-year terms.

In the 1992 and 1995 elections, the main opposition partythe Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)challenged the KMT dominance of the Legislature.

The DPP continued its strong showing in the 1995 LY race, winning 45 of the 157 seats to the KMT's 81.

NP influence remains modest and seems on the wane; it won 21 of the 164 LY seats in the 1995 elections but only 11 of 225 seats in 1998.

In an attempt to facilitate trade, in 1995 the Executive Yuan approved the construction of an offshore transshipment center at the port of Kaohsiung through which direct shipping with the mainland would be permitted.

However, the increase in contacts, combined with domestic political liberalization on Taiwan, also has resulted in more open discussion in Taiwan of the future of Taiwan, including the option of independence, to which Beijing is strongly opposed. When Lee Teng-hui visited his alma mater in the US in 1995, this caused harsh criticism from the PRC, which ultimately led to the Third Taiwan Strait Crisis.

Lower-level talks continued on a fairly regular basis until they were suspended by Beijing in 1995 after President Lee's U.S.

1996

This National Assembly amended the constitution in 1994, paving the way for the direct election of the president and vice president that was held in March, 1996.

The recent downplaying of Taiwan independence by the DPP as a party, however, led to the formation by hard-line advocates of a new political party called the Taiwan Independence Party in December 1996. Kuomintang Until 1986, Taiwan's political system was effectively controlled by one party, the KMT, the leader of which also was the President.

In March 1996, Lee Teng-hui was elected president and Lien Chan vice president in the first direct election by Taiwan's voters.

1997

The DPP for the first time succeeded in outpolling the KMT in the November 1997 local elections, gaining 12 of the 23 magistrate and mayoral seats as opposed to the KMT's 8 and winning 43% of the vote versus the KMT's 41%. The DPP membership is made up largely of the Hoklo people, the largest ethnic group in Taiwan.

In November 1997 local elections, the DPP won 12 of the 23 county magistrate and city mayor contests to the KMT's 8, outpolling the KMT for the first time in a major election. In March 2000, Democratic Progressive Party candidate Chen Shui-bian became the first opposition party candidate to win the presidency.

In April 1997 the first sanctioned direct cross-Strait shipping began between selected mainland China ports and Kaohsiung for cargo being transshipped through Taiwan. Beijing has expressed a mixed view of these developments.

As a result of this policy the ROC placed restrictions on large-scale infrastructure investments on mainland China in 1997. The development of semi official cross-Strait relations has been incremental.

Unofficial exchanges resumed in 1997 through informal meetings between personnel of the two sides' unofficial representative organizations.

1998

The fourth LY, elected in 1998, was expanded to 225 members.

In 1998, however, the KMT increased its LY majority from 50% to 55% and continued to play a dominant role in the legislature as the leading opposition party.

NP influence remains modest and seems on the wane; it won 21 of the 164 LY seats in the 1995 elections but only 11 of 225 seats in 1998.

In 1998, the KMT's Ma Ying-jeou wrestled back control of the mayorship of Taipei from the opposition DPP's most prominent figure Chen Shui-bian.

In the same elections, however, the DPP's Frank Hsieh managed to defeat Kaoshiung's KMT incumbent. The position of elected governor and many other elements of the Taiwan Provincial Government were eliminated at the end of 1998.

Direct SEF-ARATS contacts resumed in April 1998, and the SEF Chairman visited mainland China in October 1998.

1999

Lee Teng-hui's characterization in 1999 of relations between the ROC and mainland China as "between two states" was denounced by the Chinese government; Lee partially changed his earlier statement and referred to the 1992 consensus between the ROC and the PRC.

2000

In April 2000, the members of the National Assembly voted to permit their terms of office to expire without holding new elections.

The aftermath of the 2000 Presidential election and the 2001 legislative election left the Taiwan fragmented among several political parties.

The TSP was formed primarily because, as it took power, the DPP had to moderate its standing as regards to Taiwan independence, leaving a hole in the Taiwanese political spectrum. People First Party A new opposition party was formed in the wake of the March 2000 presidential election by the runner up, a KMT maverick candidate.

In November 1997 local elections, the DPP won 12 of the 23 county magistrate and city mayor contests to the KMT's 8, outpolling the KMT for the first time in a major election. In March 2000, Democratic Progressive Party candidate Chen Shui-bian became the first opposition party candidate to win the presidency.

Lee Teng-hui was soon forced out of the KMT Chairmanship amid popular protests and riots demanding he take responsibility for the KMT's defeat. In the months following the 2000 presidential election, Lee Teng-hui's supporters established the Taiwan Solidarity Union, which advocated a more radical brand of Taiwan independence than the DPP.

A planned visit by ARATS Chairman Wang Daohan to Taiwan in the fall, however, was postponed following statements made by then-President Lee Teng-hui that relations between mainland China and Taiwan should be conducted as "state-to-state" or at least as "special state-to-state relations." Since his 20 May 2000 inauguration, President Chen has called for resuming the cross-Strait dialogue without any preconditions.

2001

Other major political issues include the passage of an arms procurement bill that the United States authorized in 2001.

In the 2001 election, the DPP became the largest party after large losses suffered by the KMT.

The aftermath of the 2000 Presidential election and the 2001 legislative election left the Taiwan fragmented among several political parties.

The PFP currently had 17 members in the LY before the 2001 election, but increased its representation to over 40 in that election. New Party The New Party was formed in August 1993 by a group made up largely of second-generation mainlander KMT members who were unhappy both with corruption in the KMT and with what they saw as the "Taiwanization" of KMT ideology and leadership.

The New Party was almost annihilated in the 2001 election as its members defected to the Peoples First Party. Taiwan Solidarity Union In 2001, supporters of former President Lee founded the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU).

This permitted the formation of two rival coalitions that have since dominated Taiwanese politics: the Pan-Blue Coalition formed by the KMT, People First Party, and New Party and the Pan-Green Coalition formed by the Democratic Progressive Party and Taiwan Solidarity Union. In the 2001 LY elections, the DPP won a plurality of seats for the first time.

2004

This also gave independents in the legislature more power, some of whom founded the Non-Partisan Solidarity Union in 2004. In a hotly contested election on 20 March 2004, President Chen Shui-bian was re-elected by 50.1% of the popular vote to a second term.

There were two referendums before the voters on 20 March 2004.

He expressed opposition, however, in his 20 May 2004 inaugural address to using constitutional reform to alter the constitution's definition of Taiwan sovereignty. The Legislative Yuan passed a set of constitutional amendments on 23 August 2004 that halve the number of LY seats and create single-member districts.

These constitutional amendments were ratified by the National Assembly in 2005. Prior to the 11 December 2004 elections to the Legislative Yuan, signs indicated that the DPP would for the first time dominate the Legislative Yuan.

The ROC Bureau of Foreign Trade estimates that indirect trade with mainland China reached about US$61.639 billion, or 18% of the total trade of the ROC, in 2004.

2005

During his visit to mainland China in April 2005, former KMT Party Chairman Lien Chan reiterated his party's belief in the "One China" policy that states that there is only one China controlled by two governments and that Taiwan is a part of China.

In 2005, the National Assembly permanently abolished itself by ratifying a constitution amendment passed by the Legislative Yuan. Amending the ROC constitution now requires the approval of three-fourths of the quorum of members of the Legislative Yuan.

These constitutional amendments were ratified by the National Assembly in 2005. Prior to the 11 December 2004 elections to the Legislative Yuan, signs indicated that the DPP would for the first time dominate the Legislative Yuan.

Although the Pan-Green coalition increased their seats by one and the DPP remained the largest party, because of raised hopes the election was viewed as a disaster, and President Chen resigned his post as Chairman of DPP as a result. On 3 December 2005, the KMT made major gains in municipal elections, taking 14 of 23 mayor or county magistrate seats, while the DPP retained only six seats of their previous 10.

2006

The former DPP administration feared that such links will lead to tighter economic and thus political integration with the PRC, and in the 2006 Lunar New Year Speech, Chen Shui-bian called for managed opening of links. Mainland China and Taiwan resumed regular direct flights or cross-Strait relations on 4 July 2008, after six decades, as a "new start" in their tense relations.

In early 2006, President Chen Shui-bian was linked to possible corruption.

Nearing the end of 2006, KMT's chairman Ma Ying-jeou was also hit by corruption controversies, although he has since then been cleared of any wrong-doings by the courts.

Since completing his second term as President, Chen Shui-bian has been charged with corruption and money laundering. The merger of the KMT and People First Party (PFP) was thought to be certain, but a string of defections from the PFP to the KMT have increased tensions within the Pan-Blue camp. In 2006, due to the Pacific Sogo Department Store scandal, the pro-KMT Pan-Blue Coalition moved to impeach the President but failed to obtain the requisite number of votes in the legislature.

The campaign began on 1 September 2006.

On 13 October 2006, the Pan-Blue Coalition attempted again to pass a recall motion against the ROC President Chen Shui-bian, which also failed to garner sufficient votes in the legislature. On 3 November 2006, prosecutors in Taiwan stated that they have enough evidence to indict Chen's wife on corruption charges in connection with her handling of a secret diplomatic fund.

The Pan-Blue Coalition campaigned against the referendum as unnecessary and urged voters to boycott it. President Chen Shui-bian has called for major constitutional reforms by 2006 aimed at further reducing layers of government, and making other structural changes aimed at improving governance.

2008

This has led to many impasses; the president in the ROC system does not have the power of veto, so the legislature is not required to obtain the assent of the executive branch in order to make laws. In January 2008, opposition party Kuomintang won a landslide victory in legislative election.

In March 2008 Ma Ying-jeou of Kuomintang party was elected as president.

The former DPP administration feared that such links will lead to tighter economic and thus political integration with the PRC, and in the 2006 Lunar New Year Speech, Chen Shui-bian called for managed opening of links. Mainland China and Taiwan resumed regular direct flights or cross-Strait relations on 4 July 2008, after six decades, as a "new start" in their tense relations.

In 2008, however, the United States were reluctant to send over more arms to Taiwan out of fear that it would hinder the recent improvement of ties between China and Taiwan.

Control of the Yuan swung back to the KMT after the 2008 elections, while in 2016 the DPP regained the status as the largest party and achieved a majority for the first time in history. ===Judicial Yuan=== The Judicial Yuan (JY) administers the ROC's court system.

Starting with the 2008 legislative elections, the SNTV system was discarded in favor of a mixed single member district (SMD) with proportional representation based on national party votes, similar to Japan. The "blue" faction comes from the color of the KMT and includes the KMT, the People First Party, and the New Party.

2009

The KMT has downplayed this stance in the recent years and now supports a Taiwanese identity as part of a Chinese identity. According to a survey conducted in March 2009, 49% of the respondents consider themselves as Taiwanese only, and 44% of the respondents consider themselves as Taiwanese and Chinese.

Another survey, conducted in Taiwan in July 2009, showed that 82.8% of respondents consider that Taiwan and China are two separate countries developing each on its own.

A recent survey conducted in December 2009 showed that 62% of the respondents consider themselves as Taiwanese only, and 22% of the respondents consider themselves as both Taiwanese and Chinese.

2012

In January 2012, President Ma Ying-jeou was re-elected.

2014

The party emerged from the Sunflower Student Movement in 2014, and advocates for universal human rights, civil and political liberties, as well as Taiwan independence/nationalism.

2015

The President appoints the Examination Yuan's President. The current President of the Examination Yuan is Wu Jin-lin. == Political parties and elections == === Recent elections === === Political parties === As of July 2015, there are 277 officially registered parties in Taiwan.

The party claimed over 2 million members, and its net assets were reputed to total more than NT $61.2 billion, making it the richest political party in the world. New Power Party The New Power Party was formed in early 2015.

2016

In January 2016, Democratic Progressive Party candidate Tsai Ing-wen won presidential election.

Control of the Yuan swung back to the KMT after the 2008 elections, while in 2016 the DPP regained the status as the largest party and achieved a majority for the first time in history. ===Judicial Yuan=== The Judicial Yuan (JY) administers the ROC's court system.

2020

She became the first female president of Republic of China. In January 2020, Tsai was re-elected and in the simultanious legislative election President Tsai's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) won a majority, with 61 out of 113 seats.




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