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The Republic of China (ROC) currently has jurisdiction over Taiwan, Kinmen, Matsu, and the Pescadores Islands and several of the smaller islands. Taiwan's two major cities, Taipei and Kaohsiung, are centrally administered municipalities. The rest of Taiwan and the Penghu Islands are administered together as the Province of Taiwan. Kinmen, Matsu, and smaller nearby islands are administered as counties of Fukien Province.1 Overview
The ROC is governed under the Constitution of the Republic of China which was drafted in 1947 before the fall of Mainland China and outlined a government for all of China. 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.
Until 1991, the government in Taipei claimed to be the sole legitimate government of all of China, including the mainland, Tibet, and outer MongoliaOuter Mongolia makes up the independent state of Mongolia, while Inner Mongolia is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. The name reflects a Sino-centric perspective that takes the northern part of Mongolia as "outer", while the southern. In keeping with that claim, when the NationalistsThe Kuomintang (KMT; Traditional Chinese: Hanyu Pinyin: Zhongguo Guomindng; Wade-Giles: Chung-kuo Kuo-min-tang; Tongyong Pinyin: Jhongguo Guomindang; literally the National People's Party of China , also known as the Nationalist Party is a political party fled to Taipei in 1949, they re-established the full array of central political bodies, which had existed on the mainland in NanjingNanjing (, Pinyin: Nanjing, Wade-Giles: Nan-ching Postal System Pinyin: Nanking is the capital city of Jiangsu Province in the People's Republic of China. It is situated in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River at 32°03'N, 118°47'E. Nanjing is the second. While much of this structure remains in place, the President Lee Teng-huiLee Teng-hui ( Chinese: ; Taiwanese Romanization: Li Teng-hui; pinyin: L Denghui; born January 15, 1923) is a politician in the Republic of China on Taiwan. He was the President of the Republic of China and Chairman of the Kuomintang (KMT) from 1988 to 20 in 1991 unofficially abandoned the government's claim of sovereignty over mainland China, stating that they do not "dispute the fact that the CommunistsThe Communist Party of China ( Simplified Chinese: , Traditional Chinese: , Hanyu Pinyin: Zhongguo Gongchndng) is the ruling party of the People's Republic of China. The party was founded in 1921, and fought the Kuomintang during the Chinese Civil War. control mainland China." However, the National AssemblyThe National Assembly ( Chinese: , pinyin: Guomin Dahui) is the Constitutional Convention (and formerly an electoral college) of the Republic of China on Taiwan. As a result of a constitutional agreement made in 1997, the National Assembly is currently su has not officially changed the national borders, as doing so would be seen as a prelude to Taiwan independenceTaiwan independence (, pinyin: Taiwn duli, Taiwanese Church Romanization: Tai-oan Tok-lip; abbreviated to , Taidu, Tai-tok) is a political movement whose goal is to create a sovereign, independent Republic of Taiwan out of the lands currently administered. It should be noted that neither the National Assembly nor the Supreme Court has actually defined what "existing national boundaries", as stated in the constitution, actually is. The latter refused to do so claiming that it is a "major political issue".
See also: political status of Taiwan
2 National Assembly
The National Assembly of the Republic of China, elected on the mainland in 1947 to carry out the duties of choosing the president and amending the constitution was re-established on Taiwan when the government moved. Because it was impossible to hold subsequent elections to represent constituencies on the mainland, 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 majority was elected directly; 100 were chosen from party slates in proportion to the popular vote. 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 National Assembly retained the authority to amend the constitution, recall or impeach the president and the vice president, and ratify certain senior-level presidential appointments. In April 2000, the members of the National Assembly voted to permit their terms of office to expire without holding new elections. They also determined that such an election would be called in the event the National Assembly is needed to decide a presidential recall or a constitutional amendment. The recent years, the National Assembly has handed most of its powers to the Legislative Yuan, including the power of impeachment.
