The history of parliamentarism in the Republic of China (Zhonghua minguo中華民國, abbrev. ROC) reflects the political development of the country. The legislative body in today’s ROC is the Legislative Yuan (lifa yuan立法院), which was established in December 1928. Between the 1940s and 2005, there also was a National Assembly (guomin

November 1947. At the end of the Chinese civil war between Communist rebels and forces loyal to the Nationalist party/Kuomintang (Zhongguo guomindang中國國民黨, abbrev. KMT), the KMT-led ROC government suffered defeat and fled to Taiwan. After the Chinese Communists founded the People’s Republic of China (Zhonghua renmin gonghehu

In the following decades of Cold War between the ROC and the ROC, the ROC still claimed sovereignty over the Chinese mainland, and the ROC, under martial law since 1947, was ruled with iron fist by dictator Chiang Kai-shek蔣介石. Since the mainland was under Communist control, the ROC could not hold elections for either the Legislative Yuan or the National Assembly, so their members were decreed to stay in office until new elections could be held on the mainland. Members who had been elected on the mainland were not replaced after their death, but the number of seats for Taiwanese delegates was gradually increased.

After Chiang Kai-shek’s death in March 1975 things started to change. Martial law was lifted in July 1987 by ROC President Chiang Ching-kuo蔣經國 who died less than a year later. Reforms were continued and extended significantly by his successor Lee Teng-hui李登輝. The “Temporary Provisions Effective During the Period of Communist Rebellion” (dongyuan kanluan shiqi linshi tiaokuan動員戡亂時期臨時條款), imposed by the ROC National Assembly in April 1948, were abolished in April 1991, and after a constitutional amendment decided during the same session of the National Assembly, a completely new National Assembly was finally elected in December 1991. Likewise, the veteran members of the Legislative Yuan were forced to retire at the end of 1991 after more than four decades in office, and general elections were held on the territory effectively controlled by the ROC in December 1992. These elections can be regarded as truly democratic because following the end of martial law new politicial parties could be established.

Further constitutional amendments reduced the powers of the National Assembly, and the ROC president has been directly elected by the ROC citizens since March 1996. The National Assembly was subsequently transformed into a non-standing body, its delegates were nominated by political parties on the basis of proportional re- presentation, and most of its functions were transferred to the Legislative Yuan. A last election for anad-h oc National Assembly took place in May 2005, and after the latest constitutional revisions took effect a month later, the National Assembly ceased to exist altogether, rendering its power to ratify constitutional amendments and territory changes to the public through referendums.

The following lists and tables show democratic parliamentary election in the ROC on the central level which took place after the constitutional reforms in the early 1990s. Source for the figures shown in this file’s tables is the ROC Central Election Commission中央選舉委員會 <http://www.cec.gov.tw>. [File last edited/updated on Fri, Nov. 27, 2009]

The Second Legislative Yuan had total 161 members—119 district representatives (quyu liwei區域立委), 6 aboriginal representatives (yuanzhumin liwei原住民立委), 30 national representatives (quanguo bufenqu liwei全國不分區立委), and 6 overseas Chinese representatives (qiaoxuan liwei僑選立委).

The Third Legislative Yuan had total 164 members—122 district representatives (quyu liwei區域立委), 6 aboriginal representatives (yuanzhumin liwei原住民立委), 30 national representatives (quanguo bufenqu liwei全國不分區立委), and 6 overseas Chinese representatives (qiaoxuan liwei僑選立委).

The Fourth Legislative Yuan had total 225 members—168 district representatives (quyu liwei區域立委), 8 aboriginal representatives (yuanzhumin liwei原住民立委), 41 national representatives (bufenqu liwei不分區立委), and 8 overseas Chinese representatives (qiaoxuan liwei僑選立委).

The Fifth Legislative Yuan had total 225 members—168 district representatives (quyu liwei區域立委), 8 aboriginal representatives (yuanzhumin liwei原住民立委), 41 national representatives (bufenqu liwei不分區立委), and 8 overseas Chinese representatives (qiaoxuan liwei僑選立委).