TAIWAN

Taiwan officially operates under a presidential parliamentary system, a form of government in which a president and a prime minister are both active in political administrations.

Taiwanese Government

1. What do you think is different about Taiwan's system of government compared to China's or even the United States? 2. What is similar between Taiwan and the United States division of government? 3. Why do you think Taiwan has so many political parties? Are they very different from each other?

Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall, Taipei.

Taiwan's government is a multiparty democratic regime headed by popularly-elected president and unicameral legislature. Taiwan's power is distributed among five large branches of government called Yuan: the Legislative Yuan (National Assembly), Executive Yuan, Judicial Yuan, Examination Yuan, and Control Yuan. The Examination Yuan oversees Taiwan's difficult system of exams, controlling access to education, jobs, business licenses, the civil service and so on. The Control Yuan is a watchdog agency that tries to keep things honest. The president is directly elected. The president appoints the premier, who wields considerable power because they appoint the heads of Taiwan's many ministries that oversee the large bureaucracy.

A Taiwanese soldier guards a statue of Chiang Kai Shek, Taipei.

Taiwan is still officially a province of China; there is a largely forgotten provincial government with its capital at the village of Chunghsing in Taichung County. In 1997, Taiwan's constitution was amended to reduce the provincial government's role to a few

Under the president, there are five government branches known as yuans (councils or departments): legislative, executive, control, examination, and judicial. The legislative yuan, elected by popular vote, is the highest lawmaking body. As in the National Assembly, many members of the 1948 legislative yuan held their seats until 1991. The executive yuan, comparable to the cabinet in other countries, is the highest administrative organ in the government. There are eight ministries, two commissions, and a number of subordinate organs under the executive yuan. The premierthe president of the executive yuanis appointed by the president of the republic, with the consent of the legislative yuan. The president is empowered to compel the premier to resign by refusing to sign decrees or orders presented by the latter for promulgation. The legislative yuan is the highest legislative organ of the state. It has a binding vote of no confidence which would lead to the dissolution of the executive yuan. Of its 225 members, 168 are chosen by universal suffrage and the remaining members are appointed through a system of proportional representation. Members serve three-year terms. The control yuan, the highest supervisory organ, exercises censorial and audit powers over the government and may impeach officials. It also supervises the execution of the government budget. It has 29 members, all of whom serve six-year terms and are appointed by the president with the consent of the legislative yuan. The examination yuan is the equivalent of a civil service commission. It consists of two ministries. The Ministry of Examination appoints government personnel through competitive examination. The Ministry of Civil Service registers, classifies, promotes, transfers, retires, and pensions. Its president, vice president, and 19 commissioners are appointed by the president of the republic with the consent of the control yuan.