List of political parties in Taiwan
This article lists the political parties in the Republic of China (Taiwan) from 7 December 1949.
The organization of political parties in Taiwan is governed by the Political Parties Act, enacted on 6 December 2017. The Political Parties Act defines political parties as "political groups consisting of ROC citizens with a common political ideology who safeguard the free, democratic, constitutional order, assist in shaping the political will of the people, and nominate candidates for election to public office."[1][2]
Prior to the passage of the Political Parties Act, political organizations in Taiwan followed the Civil Associations Act, also known as the Civil Organizations Act, promulgated in 1989.[1][2] The Civil Associations Act required that groups held a convention to announce the formation of a political party, and within thirty days of the announcement, provide a list of party members and a party charter to the Ministry of the Interior.[3] Groups established when the Civil Associations Act was in effect should have revised their charters to comply with the Political Parties Act by 7 December 2019. To be compliant with the Political Parties Act, political groups must additionally convene a representative assembly or party congress for four consecutive years and have followed relevant laws and regulations governing the nomination of candidates to campaign in elections for public office for the same time period. Within one year of filing for political party status, a political group must complete legal person registration. The Ministry of the Interior requires that political parties submit annual property and financial statements. Political organizations that do not meet these regulations were dissolved and removed from the registry of political parties.[1][2]
Current parties
editParties with national or local representation
edit- National representation includes the President, the Vice President, and the 113 national legislator seats in the Legislative Yuan.
- Local representation includes the 22 mayors/magistrates executive positions and 912 local legislator (councils) seats of the 6 special municipalities, 3 cities and 13 counties.
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Full list of registered political parties
editThe following is a full list of registered political parties according to the Ministry of the Interior, by order of registration. Dates indicate date of founding. A large number of these political parties have been officially deregistered or dissolved.[7]
Historical parties
editTaiwan under Japanese rule
editPolitical party movements in Taiwan started in the late 1910s after World War I, during the Taishō period (Taishō Democracy). Taiwanese political movements at this time were to modify the discriminatory colonial laws established in earlier years, and to set up local autonomy systems like in Mainland Japan. The largest political movement at this time was the Petition Movement for the Establishment of a Taiwanese Parliament. At the same time, the International Communist Movement also influenced Taiwan, many Left-wing parties and organizations were also established.
Notable Taiwanese parties during this time are:
- Taiwan Dōkakai (臺灣同化會, Taiwanese Hokkien: Tâi-oân Tông-hòa-hōe, Japanese: Taiwan Dōkakai)
- New People Society (新民會, Taiwanese Hokkien: Sin-bîn-hōe, Japanese: Shinminkai)
- Taiwanese Cultural Association (臺灣文化協會, Taiwanese Hokkien: Tâi-oân Bûn-hòa Hia̍p-hōe, Japanese: Taiwan Bunka Kyōkai)
- Taiwanese Federation of Workers' Unions (臺灣工友總聯盟, Taiwanese Hokkien: Tâi-oân Kang-iú Chóng Liân-bêng, Japanese: Taiwan Kōyū Sōrenmei)
- Taiwanese Peasants Union (臺灣農民組合, Taiwanese Hokkien: Tâi-oân Lông-bîn Cho͘-ha̍p, Japanese: Taiwan Nōmin Kumiai)
- Taiwanese Communist Party (臺灣共產黨, Taiwanese Hokkien: Tâi-oân Kiōng-sán Tóng, Japanese: Taiwan Kyōsan-tō)
- Taiwanese People's Party (臺灣民眾黨, Taiwanese Hokkien: Tâi-oân Bîn-chiòng Tóng, Japanese: Taiwan Minshu-tō)
- Taiwan Local Autonomy Union (臺灣地方自治聯盟, Taiwanese Hokkien: Tâi-oân Tē-hng Chū-tī Liân-bêng, Japanese: Taiwan Tihō-jiti Renmei)
At the same time, the political parties in Mainland Japan also affected Taiwan. Those who served as Governor-General of Taiwan were also members of the House of Peers of the Imperial Diet (帝国議会). Party affiliations of the Governor-Generals were:
- Rikken Seiyūkai (立憲政友会, Taiwanese Hokkien: Li̍p-hiàn Chèng-iú-hōe)
- Kenseikai (憲政会, Taiwanese Hokkien: Hiàn-chèng-hōe)
- Rikken Minseitō (立憲民政党, Taiwanese Hokkien: Li̍p-hiàn Bîn-chèng Tóng)
In the late 1930s, the Empire of Japan joined the Second World War. To prepare for the Pacific War, all political parties in Mainland Japan were merged by then-Prime Minister Fumimaro Konoe into a single organization
- Imperial Rule Assistance Association (大政翼贊會, Taisei Yokusankai, Taiwanese Hokkien: Tāi-chèng-i̍k-chàn-hōe)
with its Taiwanese branch
- Kōmin Hōkōkai (皇民奉公會, Taiwanese Hokkien: Hông-bîn Hōng-kong-hōe, Japanese: Kōmin Hōkōkai)
was the only legal political party-like organization in Taiwan until the end of World War II.
Taiwan under the Republic of China
editTaiwan was ceded back to the Republic of China, founded in 1912 on the mainland, on 25 October 1945. From 1945 until 1949, political parties in China which had operated covertly under Japanese rule were permitted to operate in Taiwan province. The ruling Kuomintang set up formal branches in Taiwan, and so did other major political parties including the Chinese Communist Party (in 1946). Although it had no formal connection with the Taiwanese Communist Party suppressed by Japanese authorities in the 1930s (which was instead affiliated with the Communist Party of Japan), the Taiwan branch of the Chinese Communist Party absorbed many former members of the Taiwanese Communist Party. However, against the backdrop of the Chinese Civil War which erupted soon after the retrocession of Taiwan, the Kuomintang-controlled Republic of China government attempted to restrict the operation of Chinese Communist Party cells in Taiwan, and other opposition parties.
With the Republic of China government rapidly losing the Chinese Civil War against the Chinese Communist Party, the ruling Kuomintang began preparing to move the government to Taiwan in 1949. Taiwan was placed under martial law from 19 May 1949 to 15 July 1987. The Taiwan provincial branch of the Chinese Communist Party was particularly targeted, and by 1952 had been completely destroyed.
During this time, all forms of opposition were forbidden by the government, only three political parties that retreated to Taiwan were allowed to participate the elections.
- Kuomintang (Chinese: 中國國民黨; pinyin: Zhōngguó Guómíndǎng; Taiwanese Hokkien: Tiong-kok Kok-bîn-tóng)[note 3]
- Chinese Youth Party (中國青年黨; pinyin: Zhōngguó Qīngniándǎng; Taiwanese Hokkien: Tiong-kok Chheng-liân-tóng)
- China Democratic Socialist Party (中國民主社會黨 pinyin: Zhōngguó Mínzhǔ Shèhuìdǎng, Taiwanese Hokkien: Tiong-kok Bîn-chú Siā-hoē-tóng)[note 4]
All other oppositions who were not allowed not form a political party could only be listed as "independent candidate". These movements were called Tangwai movement (黨外, literally outside of Kuomintang). A notable exception in this era was
- Democratic Progressive Party (民主進步黨; Taiwanese Hokkien: Bîn-chú Chìn-pō͘ Tóng; pinyin: Mínzhǔ Jìnbù Dǎng).
It was established "illegally" on 28 September 1986, then was legalized in the next year by the lifting of the martial law.
As Taiwan democratized in the late 1980s, the number of legally registered political parties in Taiwan had increased exponentially and continued to increase year by year, indicating a liberal democracy and high political freedom in Taiwan.
| Year | 1990 | 1992 | 1994 | 1996 | 1998 | 2000 | 2002 | 2004 | 2006 | 2008 | 2010 | 2012 | 2014 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. parties | 60 | 72 | 75 | 82 | 87 | 94 | 99 | 110 | 122 | 145 | 177 | 234 | 264 | 310 | 334 | 220 |
In recent decades, Taiwan's political campaigns can be classified to two ideological blocs
- The Pan-Green Coalition, led by Democratic Progressive Party, favors Taiwanization and the Taiwan independence movement, eventually aiming to establish a Taiwanese sovereign state.
- The Pan-Blue Coalition, led by Kuomintang, is in favor of building closer ties with mainland China and the eventual Chinese unification under the Government of the Republic of China.
The majority in both coalitions state a desire to maintain the status quo for now. Many minor parties in Taiwan are unaligned with either coalition.
On 6 December 2017, the Political Parties Act (政黨法) was enforced. The Act requires the political parties to maintain a number of compliance, including
- File a declaration to the Ministry of the Interior, AND register as a legal person to a District Court,
- Convene representative assembly or party congress at least once in a four-year period,
- Nominate candidates in national or local elections at least once in a four-year period, and
- Compliance on funding source, accounting, and financial transparency.
By the end of 2018, among the 343 existing political party declarations: 220 have met the new compliance, 56 chose to dissolve or transformed to a national political association.
See also
edit
- Conservatism in Taiwan
- Progressivism in Taiwan
- February 28 Incident
- History of Taiwan
- Economic history of Taiwan
- Politics of the Republic of China
- Political parties of the Empire of Japan
- History of political parties in China
- List of political parties by country
- List of rulers of Taiwan
- Elections in Taiwan
Notes
edit- ^ Including 2 independent Yuan members joining the KMT Caucus
- ^ named after the vision 天下為公 (about the Great Unity) in the Book of Rites
- ^ KMT's prior body was Revive China Society (興中會; xīngzhōnghuì), founded on 24 November 1894. It officially renamed itself as China Nationalist Party (中國國民黨) in 1919.
- ^ The prior body of China Democratic Socialist Party (中國民主社會黨) was China National Socialist Party (中國國家社會黨), which was founded on 16 April 1932. It renamed itself as China Democratic Socialist Party (中國民主社會黨) on 15 August 1946.
Words in native languages
edit- ^
- Traditional Chinese script: 民主進步黨
- Mandarin Pinyin: Mínzhǔ Jìnbù Dǎng
- Hokkien: Bîn-chú Chìn-pō͘ Tóng
- ^
- Traditional Chinese script: 時代力量
- Mandarin Pinyin: Shídài Lìliàng
- Hokkien: Sî‑tāi Le̍k‑liōng
- ^
- Traditional Chinese script: 台灣團結聯盟
- Mandarin Pinyin: Táiwān Tuánjié Liánméng
- Hokkien: Tâi-oân Thoân-kiat Liân-bêng
- ^
- Traditional Chinese script: 台灣基進
- Mandarin Pinyin: Táiwān Jījìn
- Hokkien: Tâi-oân Ki-chìn
- ^
- Traditional Chinese script: 台灣綠黨
- Mandarin Pinyin: Táiwān Lǜ Dǎng
- Hokkien: Tâi-ôan Le̍k Tóng
- ^
- Traditional Chinese script: 社會民主黨
- Mandarin Pinyin: Shèhuì Mínzhǔ Dǎng
- Hokkien: Siā-hōe Bîn-chú Tóng
- ^
- Traditional Chinese script: 中國國民黨
- Mandarin Pinyin: Zhōngguó Guómíndǎng
- Hokkien: Tiong-kok Kok-bîn-tóng
- ^
- Traditional Chinese script: 無黨團結聯盟
- Mandarin Pinyin: Wúdǎng Tuánjié Liánméng
- Hokkien: Bû-tóng Thoân-kiat Liân-bêng
- ^
- Traditional Chinese script: 親民黨
- Mandarin Pinyin: Qīnmín Dǎng
- Hokkien: Chhin-bîn Tóng
- ^
- Traditional Chinese script: 新黨
- Mandarin Pinyin: Xīn Dǎng
- Hokkien: Sin Tóng
- ^
- Traditional Chinese script: 台灣民眾黨
- Mandarin Pinyin: Táiwān Mínzhòng Dǎng
- Hokkien: Tâi-oân Bîn-chiòng Tóng
- ^
- Traditional Chinese script: 勞動黨
- Mandarin Pinyin: Láodòng Dǎng
- Hokkien: Lô-tōng Tóng
- ^
- Traditional Chinese script: 正神名黨
- Mandarin Pinyin: Zhèng Shén Míng Dǎng
- Hokkien: Chìng Sîn Bîng Tóng
References
edit- ^ a b c Chen, Chun-hua; Liu, Kuan-lin (10 November 2017). "Legislature passes Political Party Act". Central News Agency. Retrieved 18 November 2019.
- ^ a b c Ku, Chuan; Kao, Evelyn (17 November 2019). "46 groups yet to transition to political parties as required by law". Central News Agency. Retrieved 18 November 2019. Republished as: "2020 ELECTIONS: MOI says 46 political groups have yet to make shift". Taipei Times. 19 November 2019. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
- ^ "MOI releases party name information". Taipei Times. 7 February 2011. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
- ^ Bernice Lee (13 September 2013). The Security Implications of the New Taiwan. Taylor & Francis. p. 1954.
Peng, the DPP's pro-independence challenger, secured 21%, while pro-Beijing New Party candidate Ling Tang-Kang polled only 15%.
- ^ "新黨公布"一國兩制台灣方案" (全文)" [New Party Announces "One Country, Two Systems Taiwan Proposal" (Full Text)]. CRNTT.com. 18 August 2019. Retrieved 7 December 2023.
- ^ "正神名黨組織章程" (PDF). Ministry of the Interior. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
- ^ "Ministry drops delinquent political parties from list – Taipei Times". www.taipeitimes.com. 30 April 2020. Retrieved 20 February 2024.