The political framework of Taiwan, China

Political Outline

Current Political Leaders

President: LAI Ching-te (since 19 May 2024)
Premier: CHO Jung-tai (President of the Executive Yuan) (since 20 May 2024)

Next Election Dates

Presidential: 2028
Legislative Yuan (parliamentary): January 2028

Main Political Parties

Most parties maintain alliances with the two largest ruling parties: the KMT and DPP. Only three political parties obtained seats in the Legislative Yuan following the 2024 election:

- Democratic Progressive Party (DPP): centre to centre-left, currently the ruling party in Taiwan, leading a minority government that controls the presidency and the central government
- Kuomintang (KMT): centre-right, advocates for Chinese nationalism and closer cross-strait relations
- Taiwan People's Party (TPP): centre-left, advocates for pragmatic governance and social reforms.

Other parties include:

- New Power Party (NPP): center-left, supports social progressivism and Taiwanese sovereignty
- Green Party Taiwan: center-left, focuses on environmental and social justice issues
- Taiwan Statebuilding Party: big-tent, strongly advocates for formal Taiwanese independence
- People First Party (PFP): liberal, previously allied with the KMT but has diminished political influence.

Executive Power

Taiwan was the first country in East Asia to elect its president by universal direct suffrage, holding its first such election in 1996. The President and Vice President are elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year terms and are eligible for one re-election. The Premier is appointed by the President, while the Vice Premier is appointed by the Premier with the President's approval.

Legislative Power

Taiwan's Legislative Yuan is a unicameral body with 113 seats. These include 73 district members elected by popular vote, 34 at-large members allocated based on the proportion of island-wide votes received by participating political parties, and 6 members elected by popular vote from the indigenous population. All members serve four-year terms. Political parties must receive at least 5% of the vote to qualify for at-large seats.