Additional Articles of the Constitution of the Republic of China

Last updated
Additional Articles of
the Constitution of
the Republic of China
Overview
Original title中華民國憲法增修條文
Jurisdiction Free area of the Republic of China
Ratified 22 April 1991;33 years ago (1991-04-22)
Date effective 1 May 1991;33 years ago (1991-05-01)
System Unitary semi-presidential republic
Government structure
Branches Five (Executive, Legislative, Judicial, Examination, Control)
Head of state President
Chambers Unicameral
(Legislative Yuan)
Executive Executive Yuan
led by the Premier
Judiciary Judicial Yuan
Federalism Unitary
Electoral college No
History
First legislature
First executive May 20, 1996 (President)
Amendments 7
Last amendedJune 10, 2005
Commissioned by National Assembly
Signatories457 of the 583 remaining delegates, in Taipei
(most delegates elected in 1947, with some elected in 1969 and 1986)
Supersedes Temporary Provisions against the Communist Rebellion and most articles of the original Constitution of the Republic of China
Additional Articles of
the Constitution of
the Republic of China
Traditional Chinese 中華民國 憲法
增修條文
Simplified Chinese 中华民国 宪法
增修条文

The Additional Articles of the Constitution of the Republic of China are the revisions and constitutional amendments to the original constitution to meet the requisites of the nation and the political status of Taiwan "prior to national unification". The Additional Articles are usually attached after the original constitution as a separate document. It also has its own preamble and article ordering different from the original constitution. [1]

The Additional Articles are the fundamental law of the present government of the Republic of China on Taiwan since 1991, last amended in 2005.

Main provisions

The current Additional Articles of the Constitution entail 12 articles:

Article 1
Referendum on amendment to the Constitution and alteration of the national territory.
Article 2
President and the vice president.
Article 3
Premier and the Executive Yuan.
Article 4
Legislative Yuan.
Article 5
Judicial Yuan.
Article 6
Examination Yuan.
Article 7
Control Yuan.
Article 8
Remuneration and pay of the members of the Legislative Yuan.
Article 9
Local governments.
Article 10
Fundamental national policy.
Article 11
Cross-Strait relations (rights and obligations between people of the free area and mainland China).
Article 12
Procedure for amending the Constitution.

Free area

The territory controlled by the Government of the Republic of China changed significantly after the Chinese Civil War, and the Republic of China could not hold elections in territories it did not control. Thus, the Additional Articles of the Constitution defines the Free Area (Chinese: 自由地區, Mandarin: Zìyóu Dìqū, Taiwanese: Chū-iû Tē-khu, Hakka: Chhṳ-yù Thi-khî) to be the territory and the people under the government's effective jurisdiction. Whilst all residents of China are nominally citizens of the Republic,[ citation needed ] only the citizens who have the right to abode in the Free Area may exercise the full civil and political rights, including right of abode and suffrage.

Direct presidential election

The Additional Articles requires direct election of the President by the citizens of the free area. [2] The first direct presidential election was held in 1996. Under the original constitution, the President was elected indirectly by the National Assembly.

Government reform and reorganization

The Additional Articles of the Constitution reformed the government of the Republic of China from a parliamentary system to a de facto semi-presidential system. The National Assembly is de facto abolished, and its functions are exercised directly by the citizens of the Free area. The five-power governmental structure is retained, though it functions closer to the traditional Western trias politica in practice.

Constitutional referendum

A 2005 amendment regarding on referendum stated that a constitutional amendment or an alteration of the national territory has to be ratified by more than half (50%) of voters of the Free Area in a referendum after passed in the Legislative Yuan with a three-quarters majority. Before that, constitutional amendments and national territory alterations were ratified by the National Assembly.

Comparison of the governmental structure

Most of the amendments brought by the Additional Articles focuses on the mechanism of separation of powers among central governmental organs. The Additional Articles changed the form of government from parliamentary system to semi-presidential system, enhance the implementation of direct democracy and direct election, reduce the chambers of parliament, and simplify the hierarchy of local governments. [3]

Governmental structureAdditional Articles (2005)Original Constitution (1947)
Form of government Semi-presidential republic Parliamentary republic
Head of state The president is elected directly by the citizens of the free area (Taiwan) to a four-year term, and may be re-elected once.The president is elected indirectly by the National Assembly to a six-year term, and may be re-elected once.
Head of government The premier is appointed by the president. The Legislative Yuan may vote for motion of no confidence.The premier is nominated and appointed by the president, with the consent of the Legislative Yuan.
Parliament Unicameralism: Legislative Yuan
  • Members of the Legislative Yuan are elected directly by the citizens of the free area (Taiwan) to a four-year term.
Tricameralism: National Assembly , Legislative Yuan and Control Yuan
  • Delegates of the National Assembly are elected directly by the citizens to a six-year term.
  • Members of the Legislative Yuan are elected directly by the citizens to a three-year term.
  • Members of the Control Yuan are elected indirectly by provincial legislators to a six-year term.
Judiciary The justices are nominated and appointed by the president with the consent of the Legislative Yuan to an eight-year term.The justices are nominated and appointed by the president with the consent of the Control Yuan to a nine-year term.
Local government The provinces are streamlined: counties and cities under provinces are subordinated directly to the central government.A two-level system is in place: the provincial-level and the county-level.

History of amendments

The Additional Articles of the Constitution have been amended seven times since the 1990s.

AmendmentProcessNote
1stApr 22, 1991Ratified by 1st National Assembly Delegates elected in 1947, 1969, and 1986. In the 583 delegates, 470 attended, 457 agreed.
May 1, 1991Promulgated by 8th President Lee Teng-hui Additional Articles established
2ndMay 27, 1992Ratified by 2nd National Assembly Delegates elected in 1986 and 1991. In the 403 delegates, 285 attended, 277 agreed.
May 28, 1992Promulgated by 8th President Lee Teng-hui
3rdJul 28, 1994Ratified by 2nd National AssemblyDelegates elected in 1991. In the 321 delegates, 220 attended, 215 agreed.
Aug 1, 1994Promulgated by 8th President Lee Teng-hui
4thJul 18, 1997Ratified by 3rd National Assembly Delegates elected in 1996. In the 333 delegates, 269 attended, 261 agreed.
Jul 21, 1997Promulgated by 9th President Lee Teng-hui
5thSep 3, 1999Ratified by 3rd National AssemblyDelegates elected in 1996. In the 315 delegates, 214 attended, 211 agreed.
Sep 15, 1999Promulgated by 9th President Lee Teng-hui
Mar 24, 2000Voided by Justices of the Judicial Yuan Constitutional Interpretation No. 499
6thApr 24, 2000Ratified by 3rd National AssemblyDelegates elected in 1996. In the 314 delegates, 287 attended, 285 agreed.
Apr 25, 2000Promulgated by 9th President Lee Teng-hui
7th
(in effect)
Aug 23, 2004Proposed by 5th Legislative Yuan Members elected in 2001. In the 225 members, 198 attended, 198 agreed.
Jun 7, 2005Ratified by the National Assembly Delegates elected in 2005. In the 300 delegates, 298 attended, 249 agreed.
Jun 10, 2005Promulgated by 11th President Chen Shui-bian Currently in force
——
(failed)
Mar 25, 2022Proposed by 10th Legislative Yuan Members elected in 2020. In the 113 members, 109 attended, 109 agreed.
Nov 26, 2022Ratification failed in national referendum Out of 19,239,392 eligible voters, only 5,647,102 agreed. See 2022 Taiwanese constitutional referendum

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Politics of Taiwan</span>

Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is governed in a framework of a representative democratic republic under a five-power system first envisioned by Sun Yat-sen in 1906, whereby under the constitutional amendments, the President is head of state and the Premier is head of government, and of a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the Executive Yuan. Legislative power is vested primarily in the Legislative Yuan. The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature. In addition, the Examination Yuan is in charge of validating the qualification of civil servants, and the Control Yuan inspects, reviews, and audits the policies and operations of the government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">President of the Republic of China</span> Head of state of the Republic of China

The president of the Republic of China, also referred to as the president of Taiwan, is the head of state of the Republic of China (Taiwan) as well as the commander-in-chief of the Republic of China Armed Forces. The position once had authority of ruling over Mainland China before 1949, but its remaining jurisdictions has been limited to Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu, and other smaller islands since the conclusion of the Chinese Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Legislative Yuan</span> Unicameral national legislature of the Republic of China (Taiwan)

The Legislative Yuan is the unicameral legislature of the Republic of China (Taiwan) located in Taipei. The Legislative Yuan is composed of 113 members, who are directly elected for four-year terms by people of the Taiwan Area through a parallel voting system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Assembly (Republic of China)</span> 1947–2005 electoral college and constitutional convention in the East Asian country

The National Assembly was the authoritative legislative body of the Republic of China, from 1947 to 2005. Along with the Control Yuan and the Legislative Yuan, the National Assembly formed the tricameral parliament of the Republic of China.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Constitution of the Republic of China</span> Supreme law of the East Asian country

The Constitution of the Republic of China is the fifth and current constitution of the Republic of China (ROC), ratified by the Kuomintang during the Constituent National Assembly session on 25 December 1946, in Nanjing, and adopted on 25 December 1947. The constitution, along with its Additional Articles, remains effective in ROC-controlled territories.

A constitutional amendment is a modification of the constitution of a polity, organization or other type of entity. Amendments are often interwoven into the relevant sections of an existing constitution, directly altering the text. Conversely, they can be appended to the constitution as supplemental additions, thus changing the frame of government without altering the existing text of the document.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Constitution of France</span> Principles, institutions and law of political governance in France

The current Constitution of France was adopted on 4 October 1958. It is typically called the Constitution of the Fifth Republic(French: la Constitution de la Cinquième République), and it replaced the Constitution of the Fourth Republic of 1946 with the exception of the preamble per a 1971 decision of the Constitutional Council. The current Constitution regards the separation of church and state, democracy, social welfare, and indivisibility as core principles of the French state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Judicial Yuan</span> Judicial branch of Taiwan

The Judicial Yuan is the judicial branch of the government of Taiwan. It runs a Constitutional Court and oversees all systems of courts of Taiwan, including ordinary courts like the supreme court, high courts, district courts as well as special courts like administrative courts and disciplinary courts. By Taiwanese law, the Judicial Yuan holds the following powers:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Control Yuan</span> Investigative agency of the Republic of China government

The Control Yuan is the supervisory and auditory branch of the government of the Republic of China, both during its time in mainland China and Taiwan.

The Examination Yuan is the civil service commission branch, in charge of validating the qualification of civil servants, of the government of the Republic of China (Taiwan). It has a president, a vice president, and seven to nine members, all of whom are nominated by the president of the republic and confirmed by the Legislative Yuan for four-year terms according to Republic of China laws.

An entrenched clause or entrenchment clause of a constitution is a provision that makes certain amendments either more difficult or impossible to pass. Overriding an entrenched clause may require a supermajority, a referendum, or the consent of the minority party. The term eternity clause is used in a similar manner in the constitutions of Brazil, the Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, India, Iran, Italy, Morocco, Norway, and Turkey, but specifically applies to an entrenched clause that can never be overridden. However, if a constitution provides for a mechanism of its own abolition or replacement, like the German Basic Law does in Article 146, this by necessity provides a "back door" for getting rid of the "eternity clause", too.

The elections in Taiwan each held every four years, typically in January and November. Since 2012 the previously eleven types of elections in Taiwan have been unified into general and local elections. There may also be by-elections. Electoral systems include first-past-the-post, proportional representation, single non-transferable voting, and a parallel mixture of the above.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Constitution of Venezuela</span> Current and 26th constitution of Venezuela

The Constitution of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela is the current and twenty-sixth constitution of Venezuela. It was drafted in mid-1999 by a constituent assembly that had been created by popular referendum. Adopted in December 1999, it replaced the 1961 Constitution, the longest-serving in Venezuelan history. It was primarily promoted by then President of Venezuela Hugo Chávez and thereafter received strong backing from diverse sectors, including figures involved in promulgating the 1961 constitution such as Luis Miquilena and Carlos Andrés Pérez. Chávez and his followers (chavistas) refer to the 1999 document as the "Constitución Bolivariana" because they assert that it is ideologically descended from the thinking and political philosophy of Simón Bolívar and Bolivarianism. Since the creation of the Constituent National Assembly in August 2017, the Bolivarian government has declared the 1999 constitution suspended until a new constitution is created.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Free area of the Republic of China</span> Territories under the control of the Government of the Republic of China

The free area of the Republic of China, also known as the "Taiwan Area of the Republic of China", the "Tai-Min Area " or simply the "Taiwan Area", is a term used by the government of the Republic of China (Taiwan) to refer to the territories under its actual control. It is also used as a legal term written in the Additional articles of the ROC constitution and Cross-Strait Act.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parliamentary republic</span> Form of government

A parliamentary republic is a republic that operates under a parliamentary system of government where the executive branch derives its legitimacy from and is accountable to the legislature. There are a number of variations of parliamentary republics. Most have a clear differentiation between the head of government and the head of state, with the head of government holding real power and the head of state being a ceremonial position, similar to constitutional monarchies. In some countries the head of state has reserve powers to use at their discretion as a non-partisan "referee" of the political process. Some have combined the roles of head of state and head of government, much like presidential systems, but with a dependency upon parliamentary confidence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Government of the Republic of China</span>

The Government of the Republic of China, is the national authority whose actual-controlled territory consists of main island of Taiwan (Formosa), Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu, and other island groups, collectively known as Taiwan Area or Free Area. A unitary state, the ROC government, under the current constitutional amendments, is run by a de facto semi-presidential system, consists of the presidency and five branches (Yuan): the Executive Yuan, Legislative Yuan, Judicial Yuan, Examination Yuan, and Control Yuan. The president is the head of state, with the premier as the head of government, currently ruled by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) since 2016. Since the 2005 amendments of the Additional Articles of the Constitution, the Legislative Yuan has been the de facto unicameral parliamentary body of the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Constitution of Armenia</span> Supreme law of Armenia

The Constitution of Armenia was adopted by a nationwide Armenian referendum on July 5, 1995. This constitution established Armenia as a democratic, sovereign, social, and constitutional state. Yerevan is defined as the state's capital. Power is vested in its citizens, who exercise it directly through the election of government representatives. Decisions related to changes in constitutional status or to an alteration of borders are subject to a vote of the citizens of Armenia exercised in a referendum. There are 117 articles in the 1995 constitution. On November 27, 2005, a nationwide constitutional referendum was held and an amended constitution was adopted. The constitution was amended again in a national referendum on December 6, 2015 that changed the political structure from a semi-presidential system to a parliamentary republic.

The law of the Republic of China as applied in Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, and Matsu is based on civil law with its origins in the modern Japanese and German legal systems. The main body of laws are codified into the Six Codes:

Referendums in Taiwan at both the national and local level are governed by the Referendum Act of Taiwan, which was enacted by the Legislative Yuan in December 2003. Citizens can propose laws via referendums at the national and local levels. The Referendum Act also allowed people to make changes or abolish laws by referendums.

A constitutional referendum was held in Taiwan on 26 November 2022. Voters voted on adding Article 1-1 to the Additional Articles of the Constitution of the Republic of China. Had it passed, the voting age would have been lowered from 20 to 18 years. The amendment would also have lowered the minimum age of candidacy from 23 to 18 years once the relevant electoral laws had been amended accordingly.

References

  1. "Introduction". english.president.gov.tw.
  2. Presidential and Vice Presidential Election and Recall Act
  3. "Wayback Machine". web.archive.org. March 3, 2016.