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62-1195: Lai Ching-te ( DPP ) Hsiao Bi-khim ( DPP ) Cho Jung-tai ( DPP ) 11th Legislative Yuan Han Kuo-yu ( KMT ) Shieh Ming-yan acting Vacant Vacant Vacant Control Yuan Chen Chu Lee Hung-chun Local government Central Election Commission Kuomintang Democratic Progressive Party Taiwan People's Party Others New Power Party Taiwan Statebuilding Party People First Party Taiwan Solidarity Union New Party Non-Partisan Solidarity Union Newspapers United Daily News Liberty Times China Times Taipei Times Propaganda Censorship Film censorship Lin Chia-lung Cross-Strait relations Special state-to-state relations One Country on Each Side 1992 Consensus Taiwan consensus Chinese Taipei Australia–Taiwan relations Canada–Taiwan relations France–Taiwan relations Russia–Taiwan relations Taiwan–United Kingdom relations Taiwan–United States relations Republic of China (1912–1949) Chinese Civil War One-China policy China and

124-681: A Doctor of Medicine (MD). After graduating from medical school, Lai went to the United States to study at the Harvard School of Public Health for a Master of Public Health , followed by an internship at National Cheng Kung University Hospital . He became an expert on spinal cord damage and served as a national consultant for such injuries. After serving as part of the support team for Chen Ding-nan 's unsuccessful electoral bid for Governor of Taiwan Province in 1994, Lai decided to enter politics himself. The next opportunity for election to

186-517: A figurehead role. However, the National Assembly overwhelmingly supported Chiang as president and once in this position, Chiang continued to exercise vast prerogatives as leader, and the premiership served to execute policy, not make it. Thus, until the 1980s, power in the Republic of China was personalized rather than institutionalized, which meant presidential power depended largely on who occupied

248-519: A parliamentary republic . Since the 1996 election however, the president has been directly elected by plurality voting to a four-year term, with incumbents limited to serving two terms. The current president is Lai Ching-te of the Democratic Progressive Party , preceded by Tsai Ing-wen from the same party. The president is currently elected for a term of four years by a plurality voting direct election of areas administered by

310-512: A prime minister ). However, in a parliamentary republic with a head of state whose tenure is dependent on parliament, the head of government and head of state can form one office (as in Botswana , the Marshall Islands , Nauru , and South Africa ), but the president is still selected in much the same way as the prime minister is in most Westminster systems . This usually means that they are

372-486: A formal complaint against the Premier for sedition . In October 2017, it was reported that Lai had garnered the approval of 68.8 percent of respondents in a survey, while 23 percent expressed dissatisfaction. However, critics say that his popularity may not last, due to his rapid reversal of his position on the issue of Taiwanese independence. However, on 20 October, in response to General Secretary Xi Jinping 's comments on

434-571: A golden plum blossom surrounded by wreath laurel on front side. The presidential standard  [ zh ] , officially called the Commander-in-Chief Standard of the Republic of China , is the symbol of the President as head the Republic of China Armed Forces . The Standard is a rectangular, red field with a thin, yellow border. In the center of the red field is the national emblem of

496-503: A legislator, and was selected as Taiwan's "Best Legislator" four times in a row by Taipei -based NGO Citizen Congress Watch. With the 2010 reorganization of the municipalities in Taiwan, Tainan City and Tainan County were amalgamated into a single municipality, called Tainan . After successfully being selected in the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) primaries in January 2010, Lai stood as

558-766: A master's degree from Harvard University in 2003. After serving as the president of the National Physician Support Association, Lai ran in the 1996 Legislative Yuan election , winning a seat representing Tainan City . After being re-elected to the Legislative Yuan four consecutive times, Lai ran for Mayor of Tainan in 2010 . Lai won and served as mayor for seven years, winning reelection in 2014 . In September 2017, President Tsai Ing-wen announced Lai would replace outgoing premier Lin Chuan . On 24 November 2018, Lai announced his intention to resign from

620-549: A national body was the 1996 National Assembly , with Lai winning a seat representing Tainan City. Lai then joined the New Tide faction and stood as a candidate in the 1998 Legislative Yuan election , representing the Democratic Progressive Party in the second ward of Tainan City. He was successful in this election, and subsequently was reelected three times in 2001 , 2004 , and 2008 . In total he served 11 years as

682-584: A result, the Fourth Republic collapsed and Charles de Gaulle was given power to rule by decree, subsequently legitimized by approval of a new constitution in a referendum on 28 September 1958 that led to the establishment of the French Fifth Republic in 1959. Chile became the first parliamentary republic in South America following a civil war in 1891. However, following a coup in 1925 this system

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744-649: A veto proposed by the Executive Yuan (Cabinet). Other powers of the president include granting amnesty , pardon or clemency , declaring martial law , and conferring honors and decorations. The president may, by resolution of the Executive Yuan Council, issue emergency decrees and take all necessary measures to avert imminent danger affecting the security of the state or of the people or to cope with any serious financial or economic crisis. However, such decrees shall, within ten days of issuance, be presented to

806-474: Is currently no constitutional provision for a succession list beyond the possibility that the vice president of the Executive Yuan might succeed to the presidency. Assuming that the vice president of the Executive Yuan would be third in line for the presidency, the current line of succession is: Presidential succession has occurred three times under the 1947 Constitution: The diplomatic protocol regarding

868-399: Is in effect. Following a dissolution of the Legislative Yuan, an election for legislators must be held within 60 days. The president can also appoint senior advisors ( 資政 ), national policy advisors ( 國策顧問 ) and strategy advisors ( 戰略顧問 ), but they do not form a council . The Constitution does not clearly define whether the president is more powerful than the premier, as it names

930-416: Is square, and its inscription 總統之印 is written in seal script ( 篆書 ). It is written vertically in two columns, with the right-hand line containing the characters 總統 ( Zǒngtǒng ), and the left-hand line containing the characters 之印 ( Zhīyìn ). Taiwan was previously led by the emperor of Japan during colonial rule by Japan from 1895 to 1945, represented by the governor-general of Taiwan . After

992-512: The Central Election Commission along with his running mate, Hsiao Bi-khim . Lai claimed victory on 13 January 2024, marking the first time that a political party had won three consecutive presidential terms since direct elections were first held in 1996 . On 13 January 2024, Lai was elected president of the Republic of China with approximately 40% of the vote, and was inaugurated on 20 May 2024. Under Lai, Taiwan continued

1054-581: The Last Emperor to abdicate, ending thousands of years of imperial rule in China. The 1913 Constitution called for a strong presidential system with notable checks on the president by the National Assembly . However, Yuan soon began to assert dictatorial power, ignoring the National Assembly and later abolishing it altogether. In 1915, Yuan proclaimed himself Emperor of China in a largely unpopular move and

1116-493: The Legislative Yuan for ratification. Should the Legislative Yuan withhold ratification, said emergency decrees are rendered invalid. The president may, within ten days following passage by the Legislative Yuan of a no-confidence vote against the premier , dissolve the Legislative Yuan after consulting with its president. However, the president may not dissolve the Legislative Yuan while martial law or an emergency decree

1178-609: The United States , formally in transit to and from Central America, where a number of countries do recognize the ROC. This system allows the president to visit the United States without the US State Department having to issue a visa. During these trips, the president is not formally treated as a head of state, does not meet US government officials in their official capacities, and does not visit Washington, D.C. However, in these visits,

1240-442: The 2020 election. In November 2019, Lai accepted president Tsai Ing-wen's offer to become her running mate for the 2020 presidential election . Tsai secured over 57% of the ballot, winning a record 8.17 million votes in the election and began her second term in 2020. During his vice presidency, Lai served as president Tsai Ing-wen's special envoy to Honduras for president Xiomara Castro 's inauguration in January 2022. After

1302-569: The Constitution shall not apply. As no president of the Executive Yuan (also known as the premier) has ever succeeded to the presidency under these provisions (or their predecessors, under Article 49), it is untested whether, should the office of the premier be vacant as well, whether, pursuant to the Additional Articles, Article 3, the vice president of the Executive Yuan (vice premier), who would be acting premier, would act as president. There

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1364-475: The DPP candidate for the mayoral election on 27 November 2010, gaining 60.41% to defeat Kuomintang candidate Kuo Tien-tsai. He took office on 25 December 2010. As a result of his strong showing in the mayoral election coupled with his relative youth and his control of the DPP heartland city of Tainan, Lai was considered to be a potential candidate for a presidential run in 2016. In 2013 an opinion poll ranked Lai as

1426-514: The DPP stronghold that she rode a black horse through the streets of Tainan as an election stunt; a hopeful allusion to her status as a "dark horse". Lai, on the other hand, did not plan many campaign activities, choosing to focus on mayoral duties. He eventually won the election by 45 percentage points, the largest margin of victory in any of the municipal races in the election. Lai stepped down as Mayor in September 2017, after being appointed to

1488-428: The Executive Yuan (headed by the premier) as the "highest administrative authority" with oversight over domestic matters, while giving the president powers as commander-in-chief of the military and authority over foreign affairs. Prior to his election as president in 1948, Chiang Kai-shek had insisted that he be premier under the new Constitution, while allowing the presidency (to which he nominated Hu Shih ) be reduced to

1550-479: The Premiership. He was succeeded in acting capacity by Lee Meng-yen . In September 2017, Premier Lin Chuan tendered his resignation to President Tsai Ing-wen , which was reluctantly accepted. A recent poll showed Lin's approval rating to be a mere 28.7%, with 6 in 10 respondents dissatisfied with the performance of his cabinet. On 5 September, President Tsai announced at a press conference that Lai would become

1612-510: The President of the ROC is rather complex because of the political status of Taiwan . In the nations that have diplomatic relations with the ROC , the president is accorded the standard treatment that is given to a head of state . In other nations, the president is formally a private citizen, although even in these cases, travel usually meets with strong objections from the People's Republic of China. The president of ROC has traveled several times to

1674-503: The ROC president invariably meets with staff members from the US government, although these visits are with lower-ranking officials in non-governmental surroundings. In the area of Southeast Asia , the ROC president was able to arrange visits in the early 1990s which were formally private tourist visits. However, these have become increasingly infrequent as a result of PRC pressure. At the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders' summit,

1736-465: The ROC president is forbidden from attending personally, and must send a special envoy to represent them at the event. However, on 2 December 2016, US President-elect Donald Trump accepted a congratulatory telephone call from the ROC president, a clear break from prior protocol. The Government of the People's Republic of China and its media uses the terms Leader of the Taiwan Area , Leader of

1798-468: The Republic of China gives a short list of persons who will succeed to the presidency if the office were to fall vacant. According to the Additional Articles of the Constitution , Article 2: Should the office of the vice president become vacant, the president shall nominate a candidate(s) within three months, and the Legislative Yuan shall elect a new vice president, who shall serve the remainder of

1860-536: The Republic of China ." Lai advocates strengthening Taiwan's relations with the United States and other liberal democracies . Lai considers both titles of "Taiwan" or "Republic of China" that can be used equitably and interchangeably in respect of the country name. Lai married Wu Mei-ju in 1986. Wu worked for Taipower , and was based in Tainan until Lai was elected mayor of the city, and she transferred to Kaohsiung. The couple raised two sons. Lai′s first grandson

1922-619: The Republic of China. Before 1991, the president was selected by the National Assembly of the Republic of China for a term of six years. The Constitution of the Republic of China names the president as head of state and commander-in-chief of the Republic of China Armed Forces (formerly the National Revolutionary Army ). The president is responsible for conducting foreign relations, such as concluding treaties, declaring war, and making peace. The president must promulgate all laws and has no right to veto, but can approve or decline

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1984-535: The Republic of China. The Standard is flown from the Presidential Office, as well as other buildings for the president’s use; facilities for presidential visits; transportation vehicles when used by the president; and in other ceremonial contexts. The Standard was designed by Chiang Kai-shek in 1928, based on the flag of Whampoa Military Academy , which was in turn designed by Ho Ying-chin in 1924, and revised in 1988. The Presidential Seal  [ zh ]

2046-563: The Republic of China. We don't need a separate declaration of independence". Lai has appeared to have moderated his position on Taiwanese independence particularly when he proposed the idea of "being close to China while loving Taiwan" in June 2017. He also expressed no desire to run against Tsai Ing-wen in the 2020 presidential election. On 28 September, the New Party called on the KMT to join it in filing

2108-566: The Taiwan Region ( traditional Chinese : 台灣地區領導人 ; simplified Chinese : 台湾地区领导人 ; pinyin : Táiwān dìqū lǐngdǎorén ) and Leader of the Taiwanese Authorities ( 台灣當局領導人 ; 台湾当局领导人 ; Táiwān dāngjú lǐngdǎo rén ) to describe Taiwan's head of state. These terms are used by the media in the People's Republic of China (PRC) to reflect the PRC's official stance of not recognizing

2170-466: The United Nations Chinese unification Taiwan independence movement Taiwanese nationalism Tangwai movement The president of the Republic of China (ROC), also known as the president of Taiwan , is the head of state of the Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan, as well as the commander-in-chief of the Republic of China Armed Forces . Before 1949 the position had

2232-426: The assassination of former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe , he made a private trip to Tokyo to pay his respects and became Taiwan's most senior official to visit Japan in five decades. In November 2022, Lai led representatives of Taiwan's travel agencies and industry associations to Palau to foster collaborations between the two countries. In November 2022, president Tsai Ing-wen resigned as leader of DPP after

2294-466: The authority of ruling over Mainland China , but after communist victory in the Chinese Civil War , the remaining jurisdictions of the ROC have been limited to Taiwan , Penghu , Kinmen , Matsu , and smaller islands . Originally elected by the National Assembly , the presidency was intended to be a ceremonial office with no real executive power because the ROC was originally envisioned as

2356-639: The coal mines of Wanli. His widowed mother raised him and his five siblings as a single parent . Lai underwent schooling in Taipei City and studied at the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation of National Taiwan University in Taipei, receiving a Bachelor of Science (BS) in physical medicine and rehabilitation. He then went to Tainan to enter National Cheng Kung University , where he completed its Post-Baccalaureate Medicine Program in 1991 and earned

2418-460: The country's next head of the Executive Yuan. Lai took office on 8 September as the 49th Premier of Taiwan. Following Lai's appointment as premier, Tsai's approval ratings reached 46%, rebounding by more than 16 points since August. Lai made his first appearance as premier at the Legislative Yuan on 26 September, where he stated "I am a political worker who advocates Taiwan independence" but that "We are already an independent sovereign nation called

2480-400: The first native Taiwanese premier, Lien Chan , was seen as Lee consolidating power. Moreover, during this time the power of the premier to approve the presidential appointments, and the power of the Legislative Yuan to confirm the president's choice of premier, were removed. This established the president as the more powerful official. After the 2000 election of Chen Shui-bian as president,

2542-479: The leader of the largest party or coalition of parties in parliament. In some cases, the president can legally have executive powers granted to them to undertake the day-to-day running of government (as in Iceland) but by convention they either do not use these powers or they use them only to give effect to the advice of the parliament or head of government. Some parliamentary republics could therefore be seen as following

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2604-483: The legitimacy of Taiwan as a country, or of Two Chinas . If the official title cannot be avoided in a news article, quotation marks would be used around terms for all official ROC positions and organizations. The secretary-general to the president is the highest-ranking official in the Office of the President and supervises the staff of the office. The current secretary-general is Pan Men-an . The president's podium bearing

2666-551: The most popular of the 22 city and county heads in Taiwan, with an approval rating of 87%. Lai made on 5 June 2014 a visit to the city of Shanghai to assist an exhibition of art by the late Taiwanese painter Tan Ting-pho and met politicians of the Chinese Communist Party . Lai stood for reelection on 29 November 2014 against Huang Hsiu-shuang of the Kuomintang. His opponent was considered to have such an uphill task in

2728-510: The office of president and the first whose predecessor was also a DPP member. He is also the third incumbent vice president to succeed to the presidency and the first to assume the office through election instead of immediate succession. He has also served as the chair of the DPP since 2023. Born to a working-class family in Taipei County , Lai studied medicine at National Taiwan University and National Cheng Kung University before earning

2790-674: The office. For example, Yen Chia-kan was a mostly ceremonial president, with real power in the hands of Premier Chiang Ching-Kuo , who carried said power with him to the office of president. After President Lee Teng-hui succeeded Chiang as president in 1988, the power struggle within the KMT extended to constitutional debate over the relationship between the president and the premier. The first three premiers under Lee ( Yu Kuo-hwa , Lee Huan , and Hau Pei-tsun ) were mainlanders who had initially opposed Lee's ascent to power. The appointments of Lee Huan and Hau were compromises by President Lee to placate KMT conservatives. The subsequent appointment of

2852-568: The one China policy and the 1992 consensus at the 19th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party , Lai said that the Taiwanese government, following the directives of Tsai Ing-wen, would fulfill its promise of not changing the status quo between the two neighbors and not ceding before pressure from Beijing, which comes in the form of military intimidation and an international blockade. In November 2018, Lai tendered his resignation to

2914-450: The original term until its expiration. Should the offices of both the president and the vice president become vacant, the president of the Executive Yuan shall exercise the official powers of the president and the vice president. A new president and a new vice president shall be elected in accordance with Paragraph 1 of this article and shall serve out each respective original term until its expiration. The pertinent provisions of Article 49 of

2976-520: The outbreak of the Wuchang Uprising against Qing rule in 1911, the revolutionaries elected Sun Yat-sen as the " provisional president " ( 臨時大總統 ) of the transitional government, with the Republic of China officially established on 1 January 1912. But Sun soon resigned from the provisional presidency in favor of Yuan Shikai , who assumed the title "Great President" ( 大總統 ) in March 1912. Yuan induced

3038-540: The party's heavy losses in local elections . Lai officially registered as a candidate for the DPP chair election in December. Since Lai was the only candidate running, he became the new chairman of the DPP in 2023. In March 2023, Lai registered as the only person to run in the DPP's 2024 presidential primary and was officially nominated by the ruling party in April. On 21 November 2023, Lai formally registered his campaign at

3100-408: The premiership after the Democratic Progressive Party suffered a major defeat in local elections , and left office on 14 January 2019 after the swearing-in of his successor Su Tseng-chang . Lai mounted an unsuccessful challenge against Tsai in the 2019 Democratic Progressive Party presidential primary , then served as Tsai's running mate in the 2020 Taiwan presidential election . In April 2023, Lai

3162-445: The presidency and Legislative Yuan were controlled by different parties, which brought forth a number of latent constitutional issues, such as the role of the Legislative Yuan in appointing and dismissing a premier, the right of the president to call a special session of the Legislative Yuan, and exactly who has the power to call a referendum . Most of these issues have been resolved through inter-party negotiations. The Constitution of

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3224-449: The president, after the ruling DPP was trounced in local elections. Lai agreed to remain in office to help stabilize the government until the general budget was cleared by the Legislative Yuan in January 2019. Lai's cabinet resigned on 11 January 2019 and Su Tseng-chang was appointed as new premier. On 18 March 2019, Lai Ching-te registered to run in the Democratic Progressive Party presidential primary, saying that he could shoulder

3286-504: The previous administration's New Southbound Policy , signing an investment pact with Thailand in June 2024. Thailand became the fifth trading partner to sign an investment agreement with Taiwan since the announcement of the policy in 2016. Ching-te reaffirmed the island's commitment to resisting Chinese annexation, emphasizing its sovereignty during National Day celebrations. He also expressed hopes for dialogue with Beijing, despite ongoing military pressure and tensions. Previously, Lai

3348-530: The previous two republics had. The Third Republic lasted until the invasion of France by Nazi Germany in 1940. Following the end of the war, the French Fourth Republic was constituted along similar lines in 1946. The Fourth Republic saw an era of great economic growth in France and the rebuilding of the nation's social institutions and industry after the war, and played an important part in the development of

3410-447: The process of European integration, which changed the continent permanently. Some attempts were made to strengthen the executive branch of government to prevent the unstable situation that had existed before the war, but the instability remained and the Fourth Republic saw frequent changes in government – there were 20 governments in ten years. Additionally, the government proved unable to make effective decisions regarding decolonization. As

3472-418: The responsibility of leading Taiwan in defending itself from being annexed by China. This is the first time in Taiwanese history where a serious primary challenge has been mounted against a sitting president. The results of the DPP's primary poll released on 13 June shown that Tsai defeated Lai by winning 35.67 percent of the vote over Lai's 27.48 percent, officially becoming the DPP's presidential candidate for

3534-618: The semi-presidential system but operating under a parliamentary system. Typically, parliamentary republics are states that were previously constitutional monarchies with a parliamentary system. Following the defeat of Napoleon III in the Franco-Prussian War , France once again became a republic – the French Third Republic – in 1870. The President of the Third Republic had significantly less executive powers than those of

3596-434: Was born in the United States in 2020. Parliamentary republic In contrast to republics operating under either the presidential system or the semi-presidential system , the head of state usually does not have executive powers as an executive president would (some may have reserve powers or a bit more influence beyond that), because many of those powers have been granted to a head of government (usually called

3658-409: Was forced to retract his declaration shortly before his death in 1916. Lai Ching-te Lai Ching-te ( Chinese : 賴清德 ; born 6 October 1959), also known as William Lai , is a Taiwanese politician and former physician who is currently serving as the 8th president of the Republic of China ( Taiwan ) since May 2024. He is the third member of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to assume

3720-465: Was nominated by the DPP as their presidential candidate for the 2024 presidential election and was elected with 40.05% of votes. He took office as President on 20 May 2024. Lai was born into a working-class coal mining family in Wanli , a rural coastal town in northern Taipei County (now New Taipei City) on 6 October 1959. Lai's father died on 8 January 1960 of carbon monoxide poisoning while laboring in

3782-644: Was replaced by a presidential one . Since the London Declaration of 29 April 1949 (just weeks after Ireland declared itself a republic, and excluded itself from the Commonwealth) republics have been admitted as members of the Commonwealth of Nations. In the case of many republics in the Commonwealth of Nations , it was common for the Sovereign, formerly represented by a Governor-General , to be replaced by

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3844-415: Was viewed as a "deep green" member of the DPP, advocating for Taiwanese independence . As the mayor of Tainan, Lai called himself a "pragmatic worker for Taiwanese independence" and argued it was possible to "love Taiwan while having an affinity to China". He has since moderated his position, saying that there was no need to declare independence as " Taiwan is already a sovereign, independent country called

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