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5. Conclusion
Within five decades, the people of Taiwan have transformed their country from an authoritarian polity under the Emergency Decree and dominated by one party, into a full-fledged member of the world’s democracies. In particular, the DPP victory in the 2000 presidential election symbolized the full blossoming of a multiparty political system. The election campaign for the third direct presidential election on March 20, 2004, offers the people of Taiwan many opportunities to scrutinize candidates and their policies, and a chance to choose carefully the person deemed most capable of leading Taiwan over the next four years in meeting challenges, seizing opportunities, and dealing with the complex issues of economic development and Taiwan-China relations.
Taiwan’s continuing experiences of democracy will serve as an example to all Chinese, and indeed, to the whole world, of the benefits to be gained from the realization of democratic ideals.
For more information about Taiwan’s electoral and political systems, see:
http://www.cec.gov.tw/e-cec/ [Central Election Commission]
http://www.gio.gov.tw/taiwan-website/5-gp/yearbook/chpt04.htm [presidency]
http://www.gio.gov.tw/taiwan-website/5-gp/yearbook/chpt05.htm
[democratic electoral system]
http://www.dpp.org.tw [Democratic Progressive Party]
http://www.kmt.org.tw [Kuomintang]
http://www.np.org.tw [New Party]
http://www.pfp.org.tw [People First Party]
http://www.tsu.org.tw [Taiwan Solidarity Union]
Major events in the history of the ROC’s constitutional presidency:
• 1947 - Promulgation of the ROC Constitution with president to be elected by the National Assembly, which is elected by popular vote; first elections held for the National Assembly
• 1948 - The 1st National Assembly elects Chiang Kai-shek as the ROC’s first constitutional president by 2,430 out of 2,704 votes; it also approves the Temporary Provisions Effective During the Period of National Mobilization for Suppression of the Communist Rebellion granting emergency powers to president
• 1949 - Relocation of the ROC government to Taiwan; promulgation of the Emergency Decree
• 1954 - Chiang Kai-shek reelected president for 2nd six-year term
• 1960 - Chiang Kai-shek reelected president for 3rd six-year term
• 1966 - The National Assembly elects Chiang Kai-shek president for 4th six-year term
• 1972 - Chiang Kai-shek reelected president for 5th six-year term
• 1975 - Chiang Kai-shek dies; Yen Chia-kan, ROC vice president since 1966, becomes the nation’s 2nd constitutional president
• 1978 - Premier Chiang Ching-kuo, son of late President Chiang Kai-shek, is elected by the National Assembly as president for the 6th constitutional presidential term
• 1984 - Chiang Ching-kuo reelected president for the 7th six-year term
• 1987 - The Emergency Decree lifted
• 1988 - Chiang Ching-kuo dies; Vice President Lee Teng-hui becomes ROC president
• 1990 - Lee Teng-hui elected by the National Assembly as president for the 8th constitutional presidential term
• 1991 - The National Assembly enacts the first amendments to the Constitution; Temporary Provisions abolished; elections for 2nd National Assembly (first since 1947)
• 1992 - The 2nd National Assembly completes the second constitutional amendments establishing principle of direct presidential election and reducing the president’s term of office to four years
• 1995 - Legislative Yuan approves the Presidential and Vice Presidential Election and Recall Act, preparing for direct presidential elections
• 1996 - First direct presidential election by popular vote; won by KMT incumbent candidate Lee Teng-hui
• 2000 - DPP candidate Chen Shui-bian becomes the 2nd popularly- elected president, the first from outside the KMT
A glance at the 2000 presidential election results shows how close and competitive the race can be. On March 20, 2004, voters will again spend the night glued to their televisions, cheering on candidates as votes are counted and official results reported.
Constitutional revision has endowed citizens of the Republic of China with the right to directly elect the president since 1996. The first two popularly elected ROC presidents are Lee Teng-hui (center, elected in 1996) and Chen Shui-bian (far right, elected in 2000).
To cast ballots in the presidential election, on election day, voters in Taiwan must bring their personal chops, IDs, and voting notices to designated polling stations in the neighborhood of their household registration.
Elected by the National Assembly, Chiang Kai-shek is seen here assuming the presidency of his fourth six-year term in 1966. Constitutional reforms in the 90s re-established the limitation on presidents to a maximum of two terms and changed the president’s term of office from six to four years.
The road to full democratization began after Chiang Ching-kuo, the ROC’s third constitutional president, announced the lifting of Emergency Decree in 1987.
The Central Election Commission establishes a vote counting center, guaranteeing that the latest election results are delivered to people across Taiwan through the media.
Scenes like these are common across Taiwan during the presidential election campaign as candidates energize their supporters.
As head of state, the ROC president represents the country in foreign relations. In this picture, ROC President Chen Shui-bian signs a joint communiqué with President Blaise Compaore of Burkina Faso.
The president is the supreme commander of the land, sea and air forces of the Republic of China. In this picture, President Chen Shui-bian presides over the commissioning of the first wing of Mirage 2000-5 fighter jets.
Lien Chan, Lee Teng-hui
Peng Ming-min, Frank Hsieh
Lin Yang-kang, Hau Pei-tsun
Chen Li-an, Wang Ching-feng
Chen Shui-bian, Lu Hsiu-lien
James Soong, Chang Chau-hsiung
Vincent Siew, Lien Chan
Hsu Hsin-liang, Chu Hui-liang
Li Ao, Fung Hu-hsiang
Incumbent president Chen Shui-bian and vice president Lu Hsiu-lien, joined by Kaohsiung Mayor Frank Hsieh (left) and Taipei County Magistrate Su Tseng-chang (right), officially announce their ticket for the presidential election of 2004.
Accompanied by their spouses, Lien Chan of the Kuomintang and James Soong of the People First Party wave to supporters at a campaign rally. The two party chairmen formed a presidential and vice presidential ticket for the 2004 presidential election.
 1. Historical background
2. Electoral system and related laws
3. Constitutional responsibilities and powers of the president
4. Direct presidential elections of 1996 and 2000
5. Conclusion
  
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