Government

Taiwan 2002

Government

Special Municipality Government
The passage of the Municipal Self-governance Law in 1994 provides a clear demarcation of the powers to be exercised by the central and local governments. One distinct move towards local autonomy has been the popular election of Taipei and Kaohsiung city mayors, who, prior to 1994, were nominated by the premier and appointed by the president of the Republic. The mayors serve a four-year term and may be reelected to a second term in office. They may appoint two deputies, one in charge of political affairs and the other in charge of administrative affairs. The political deputy mayor must resign if the mayor who appointed him is no longer in office.

Taipei City Government
The Taipei City Government 臺北市政府 is headed by Mayor Ma Ying-jeou 馬英九, a member of the KMT. It has a secretariat, 16 bureaus, eight departments, five commissions, the Bank of Taipei, the Civil Worker Training Center, the Taipei Rapid Transit Company, and an administrative office for each district (see Appendix IV, ROC Government Directory). In March 1990, the 16 districts of Taipei City were reorganized into 12 districts. These districts include a total of 435 boroughs.

Kaohsiung City Government
Frank Hsieh 謝長廷 won the election for mayor of Kaohsiung City in December 1998. He was also elected chairman of the Democratic Progressive Party in June 2000 unopposed. The Kaohsiung City Government 高雄市政府 consists of seven departments, a secretariat, 12 bureaus, five commissions, the Human Resource Development Institute, the Bank of Kaohsiung, and an administrative office for each of its 11 districts (see Appendix IV, ROC Government Directory).

City Councils
According to Article 15 of the Municipal Self-governance Law, the main functions of the Taipei and Kaohsiung city councils are:

to adopt municipal statutes and regulations;
to approve the municipal budget;
to approve special taxes, temporary taxes and surtaxes in the special municipality;
to approve the disposal of municipal properties;
to approve the organic laws of the municipal government and municipally owned businesses;
to approve proposals made by the city government;
to screen the auditor's reports on municipal accounts;
to approve proposals made by the council members;
to hear petitions from citizens; and
to carry out other functions as prescribed by law or endowed by laws promulgated by the central government.

The term of office for a city councilor is four years. Councils meet for 70 days at most (including holidays) every six months. A session may be extended by ten days at the request of the mayor, council speaker, or one-third of the council members. At each session, various committees are formed to scrutinize proposals. A councilor may join only one committee.

City Government and Council Relationship
The municipal council sends its resolutions to the city government for implementation. In case of delay or otherwise unsatisfactory performance on the part of the city government, the municipal council may ask for an explanation or request that the Executive Yuan invite pertinent agencies for consultation to reach a resolution.
If a municipal council resolution is considered impractical, the municipal government may request reconsideration. If two-thirds of the council members present uphold the previous resolution, the municipal government is obliged to abide by their decision.
When the municipal council is in session, the mayor must periodically submit an oral or written report on the city government's administrative policies, on the administration of previous municipal council resolutions, and on other major activities of the municipal government. Directors of departments in the municipal government must also submit reports on matters under their jurisdiction. The members of the council may interpellate the mayor and his subordinates. The mayor or officials may be asked by the municipal council to submit special reports on important matters.
Every year the municipal government submits an administrative budget for the next fiscal year to the municipal council. Details of expected revenues and projected expenditures must be listed, but the council cannot propose spending increases.

Copyright (C) July 2002, Government Information Office. All rights reserved. Site design by L.F. Lee
Best viewed with Netscape 4.x or IE 5.x (medium font) at 800 x 600 True Color (32 bit) resolution

		Government
		Special Municipality Government The passage of the Municipal Self-governance Law in 1994 provides a clear demarcation of the powers to be exercised by the central and local governments. One distinct move towards local autonomy has been the popular election of Taipei and Kaohsiung city mayors, who, prior to 1994, were nominated by the premier and appointed by the president of the Republic. The mayors serve a four-year term and may be reelected to a second term in office. They may appoint two deputies, one in charge of political affairs and the other in charge of administrative affairs. The political deputy mayor must resign if the mayor who appointed him is no longer in office. Taipei City Government The Taipei City Government 臺北市政府 is headed by Mayor Ma Ying-jeou 馬英九, a member of the KMT. It has a secretariat, 16 bureaus, eight departments, five commissions, the Bank of Taipei, the Civil Worker Training Center, the Taipei Rapid Transit Company, and an administrative office for each district (see Appendix IV, ROC Government Directory). In March 1990, the 16 districts of Taipei City were reorganized into 12 districts. These districts include a total of 435 boroughs. Kaohsiung City Government Frank Hsieh 謝長廷 won the election for mayor of Kaohsiung City in December 1998. He was also elected chairman of the Democratic Progressive Party in June 2000 unopposed. The Kaohsiung City Government 高雄市政府 consists of seven departments, a secretariat, 12 bureaus, five commissions, the Human Resource Development Institute, the Bank of Kaohsiung, and an administrative office for each of its 11 districts (see Appendix IV, ROC Government Directory). City Councils According to Article 15 of the Municipal Self-governance Law, the main functions of the Taipei and Kaohsiung city councils are: to adopt municipal statutes and regulations; to approve the municipal budget; to approve special taxes, temporary taxes and surtaxes in the special municipality; to approve the disposal of municipal properties; to approve the organic laws of the municipal government and municipally owned businesses; to approve proposals made by the city government; to screen the auditor's reports on municipal accounts; to approve proposals made by the council members; to hear petitions from citizens; and to carry out other functions as prescribed by law or endowed by laws promulgated by the central government. The term of office for a city councilor is four years. Councils meet for 70 days at most (including holidays) every six months. A session may be extended by ten days at the request of the mayor, council speaker, or one-third of the council members. At each session, various committees are formed to scrutinize proposals. A councilor may join only one committee. City Government and Council Relationship The municipal council sends its resolutions to the city government for implementation. In case of delay or otherwise unsatisfactory performance on the part of the city government, the municipal council may ask for an explanation or request that the Executive Yuan invite pertinent agencies for consultation to reach a resolution. If a municipal council resolution is considered impractical, the municipal government may request reconsideration. If two-thirds of the council members present uphold the previous resolution, the municipal government is obliged to abide by their decision. When the municipal council is in session, the mayor must periodically submit an oral or written report on the city government's administrative policies, on the administration of previous municipal council resolutions, and on other major activities of the municipal government. Directors of departments in the municipal government must also submit reports on matters under their jurisdiction. The members of the council may interpellate the mayor and his subordinates. The mayor or officials may be asked by the municipal council to submit special reports on important matters. Every year the municipal government submits an administrative budget for the next fiscal year to the municipal council. Details of expected revenues and projected expenditures must be listed, but the council cannot propose spending increases. Copyright (C) July 2002, Government Information Office. All rights reserved. Site design by L.F. Lee Best viewed with Netscape 4.x or IE 5.x (medium font) at 800 x 600 True Color (32 bit) resolution