Democratic Electoral System

Chen Shui-bian and Lu Hsiu-lien attend a rally to establish their Changhua County campaign headquarters. (Photo courtesy of the Office of the President)

Taiwan has been rapidly implementing democracy since the mid-1980s. Various political parties compete in regular elections, and more posts are now filled by popular election than ever before.

Electoral Systems

Three separate electoral systems are employed in Taiwan.

The first system is used for election of the president, mayors, and magistrates. Each voter casts only one vote, and the candidate receiving the greatest number of votes is elected.

The second system is used in elections for the Legislative Yuan, as well as county, city, and township councils. Each voter still casts only one vote, although there may be two or more seats available for each constituency, which are filled by top-scoring candidates.

A third system, called proportional representation, has been used since 1991 for election to fill a limited number of seats reserved for the national constituency and for overseas Chinese communities in the Legislative Yuan. Before an election, each party submits two lists of candidates, one for the national constituency and the other for representatives of overseas Chinese. After voters have cast their ballots, votes gained by candidates of each party are tallied and seats distributed proportionally among the parties receiving at least 5 percent of the total valid votes nationwide. At present, 22 percent of the seats in the Legislative Yuan are filled by proportional representation.

The National Assembly has amended the ROC Constitution six times over the last few years, making a number of changes to Taiwan’s electoral politics:

• The terms of office for the ROC president and members of the National Assembly have been reduced from six years to four (the term for Legislative Yuan members has remained the same as three years).
   
• The president and the vice president are now elected directly by all eligible voters in the free territory of the ROC, rather than indirectly by the National Assembly as in the past. Furthermore, to be elected, a presidential candidate needs only a plurality of the vote, rather than a majority.
   
• Members of the Control Yuan are now nomi- nated and appointed by the president of the ROC, with the consent of the Legislative Yuan.
   
• Provincial government has been streamlined. Formerly elected, the Taiwan Provincial Assem- bly has been replaced by a nine-member consultative council appointed by the president.
   
• In April 2000, the National Assembly amended the Constitution to drastically reduce its own powers and functions. The National Assembly now only convenes when proposals of presi- dential impeachment, constitutional amend- ment, and national boundary changes are initiated by the Legislative Yuan, which now has most of the functions formerly held by the National Assembly.

Central Election Commission

Founded in 1980, the Central Election Commission (CEC) 中央選舉委員會 under the Executive Yuan is responsible for holding and supervising national and local elections, screening the qualifications of candidates, recalling elected officials, and drafting laws concerning elections. The CEC has a chairman, and between 11 and 19 commissioners who, after being nominated by the premier and approved by the president, serve for three-year terms. To ensure the impartiality of the CEC, the Public Officials Election and Recall Law 公職人員選舉罷免法 forbids any single political party from holding more than two-fifths of the commission seats.

Political Parties

As of September 2003, a total of 102 political parties had registered with the Ministry of the Interior, though most have only insignificant influence in the political system. The five most prominent parties are the Democratic Progressive Party 民主進步黨, Kuomintang (also known as the Nationalist Party) 中國國民黨, New Party 新黨, People First Party 親民黨, and Taiwan Solidarity Union 台灣團結聯盟.

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)

Formed on September 28, 1986, the Democratic Progressive Party now has around 420,000 members. The DPP’s annual National Congress 全國黨員代表大會 elects 30 members to its Central Executive Committee 中央執行委員會, who in turn elect a Central Standing Committee 中央常務委員會 of ten members. The DPP party chairman nominates a secretary-general, one or two deputy secretaries-general, a number of departmental directors (for organizational development, culture and information, international affairs, social development, women’s development, youth development, Chinese affairs, and a survey center), two directors-general, and an executive director, all of whom must be approved by the Central Standing Committee.

At an extraordinary session of its National Congress held April 20, 2002, the DPP authorized the president of the ROC to serve as chairman whenever the DPP is in power. When it is not, the chairman will be directly elected by all party members. In addition, the April 20 congress created positions for up to three vice chairmen.

What most distinguishes the DPP from the KMT, People First Party, and New Party is its inclination towards Taiwan independence, that is, the permanent political separation of Taiwan from China. In recent elections, however, the mainstream DPP leadership has moderated the party’s independence rhetoric in an attempt to broaden voter support. At the Eighth National Congress in 1999 prior to the 2000 presidential election, for instance, the DPP resolved that:

• Taiwan is a sovereign state, whose official name is the Republic of China.
   
• Any change of Taiwan’s status quo should first require a referendum.
   
• Taiwan is not part of the People’s Republic of China, and the so-called “one country, two systems” or “one-China” declaration unilaterally declared by the PRC falls short of the interests of the people of Taiwan.
   
• Taiwan and China should seek to establish lasting peace by building a communication mechanism based on mutual understanding and a consensus through dialogue across the Taiwan Strait.

The unprecedented victory of DPP candidate Chen Shui-bian 陳水扁 at the 2000 presidential election ended five decades of KMT domination of Taiwan’s politics.

Kuomintang (KMT)

KMT incumbent Ma Ying-jeou wins a landslide victory in the 2002 Taipei mayoral election.

The Kuomintang, which celebrated its centennial on November 24, 1994, is the largest party in the ROC with approximately 1.05 million members.

The KMT’s National Congress is its highest authority, having the power to amend the party charter, determine the party platform and other important resolutions, and elect the party chairman and 210 Central Committee members. The National Congress also approves the vice chairmen and members of the Central Advisory Council 中央評議委員會, all of whom are nominated by the party chairman. The Central Standing Committee 中央常務委員會, which represents the Central Committee when it is not in session, is the most influential KMT organization.

Routine party affairs are managed by the secretary-general and two to three deputy secretaries-general. The main party organizations under the secretary-general include the Policy Committee, National Research Institute, Culture and Communications Affairs Committee, and Organization and Development Committee.

In March 2001, the KMT held its first direct election for party chairman, giving acting chairman Lien Chan 連戰 the full title. The 16th National Congress was convened in September 2003, at which, a new 210-member Central Committee was elected, and which, in turn, elected the 31 members of the Central Standing Committee.

New Party (NP)

In August 1993, shortly before the KMT’s 14th National Congress, a group of KMT members including one former and six incumbent lawmakers resigned from the KMT to establish the New Party, which aimed to attract voters dissatisfied with the performance of the KMT but opposed to the DPP’s pro-independence platform. The New Party now has approximately 1,400 members.

The New Party differs from the KMT and the DPP in organizational structure and stresses leadership by those holding public office. The NP is led by its National Council 全國委員會.

In the 2001 election for Legislative Yuan members, county magistrates, and city mayors, the NP fared poorly, making the future of the party look doubtful.

People First Party (PFP)

On March 31, 2000, the People First Party was established by James Soong 宋楚瑜, a former KMT governor of Taiwan Province, who, running as an independent, had lost narrowly in the presidential election. He was joined by a number of KMT legislators who had supported him during the presidential election, and was elected as the party’s first chairman. The PFP opened its membership to citizens of 16 years of age, two years younger than the minimum age required by other parties.

The party’s highest policy-making body is its National Council, which consists of current or former office-holders in the executive or legislative branches of the government, current or former party officials, and representatives from different sectors of society. The council elects a Central Executive Committee consisting of 21 members and seven alternate members, each of whom serves for a two-year term. Every two years, all party members directly elect the party chairman. The PFP now has around 120,000 members.

Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU)

The Taiwan Solidarity Union is a new addition to Taiwan’s political scene, having registered with the Ministry of the Interior on July 31, 2001. With the endorsement of former President Lee Teng-hui 李登輝, it attracts supporters from the KMT, DPP, and other political groupings. Its aim is to “stabilize the political situation, promote the economy, consolidate democracy, and strengthen Taiwan.”

The Party Congress is the highest authority of the TSU. The party chairman, who is elected directly by party members for a two-year term, appoints the 21 members and three alternate members of a Central Executive Committee every two years. The TSU now has around 3,000 members.

Elections

The ROC has held elections since the early 1950s. Even during the period of the Emergency Decree (sometimes referred to as “martial law”), elections for county magistrates, city mayors, provincial assembly delegates, and county and city council members were held regularly. Today, representatives and leaders at all levels of government are elected by popular vote. The minimum voting age is 20, and voter registration is automatic. The government notifies voters of an impending election and distributes a bulletin or gazette that identifies and describes all candidates and their platforms.

2002 Elections for County and City Councilors and Township Magistrates

On January 26, 2002, elections were held for a total of 897 council seats and 319 executive offices, including county and provincial municipality councils, rural and urban township magistrates, and county municipality mayors.

In the election for county and city councilors, the KMT captured 382 of the 897 seats, the DPP 147 seats, the PFP 49 seats, the NP three seats, and the TSU seven seats, with the remaining 309 seats going to independent candidates. In the elections for rural and urban township magistrates, and county municipality mayors, the KMT won 195 of the 319 seats, the DPP 28 seats, and the PFP four seats, with independents winning the remaining 92 seats.

These election results showed that the KMT still retained a high level of support at the local level.

2002 Elections for Taipei and Kaohsiung Mayors and City Council Members

On December 7, 2002, Taiwan held elections for Taipei and Kaohsiung mayors, and the two big cities?council members. In the mayoral election in Taipei, KMT’s incumbent Ma Ying-jeou 馬英九 retained his post with 873,102 votes (64.1 percent), defeating DPP candidate Lee Ying-yuan 李應元, who collected 488,811 votes (35.9 percent). Voter turnout was 70.61 percent.

In Kaohsiung, the DPP’s incumbent Mayor Frank Hsieh 謝長廷 was also reelected with, 386,384 votes (50.0 percent), while the KMT’s Huang Jun-ying 黃俊英 garnered 361,546 votes (46.8 percent). Among the three other candidates for Kaohsiung mayor, Chang Po-ya 張博雅 received 13,479 ballots; Shih Ming-teh 施明德, 8,750 ballots; and Huang Tian-sheng 黃天生, 1,998 ballots. Voter turnout was 71.38 percent.

As for the elections for the 52-seat Taipei City Council, the KMT retained its position as the largest party with 20 seats (38.5 percent), followed by the DPP with 17 seats (32.7 percent), the PFP with eight seats (15.4 percent), the NP with five seats (9.6 percent), and two seats for independents. The TSU failed to win a single seat in Taipei.

In the elections for the 44-seat Kaohsiung City Council, the DPP replaced the KMT as the largest party by taking 14 seats (31.8 percent), followed by the KMT with 12 seats (27.3 percent), the PFP with seven seats (15.9 percent), the TSU with two seats (4.6 percent), and nine seats for independents. The NP failed to win any seats in Kaohsiung.