Page 17 - 2023 OUTLINE OF THE MINISTRY OF THE INTERIOR REPUBLIC OF CHINA

2023 OUTLINE OF THE MINISTRY OF THE INTERIOR

3. Townships/cities shall have township/city councils and offices. The mayor and councilors of a township/
city shall be elected by its respective residents in accordance with relevant laws to serve four-year terms.

4. Districts in special municipalities and cities shall have district offices as branches with chief admin-
istrators, who shall be appointed by the mayor in accordance with the law, except for chiefs of in-
digenous districts.

5. Townships/cities and districts are allocated into villages. Every village shall have a village chief,
who shall be popularly elected for four-year terms.

The Regulations Governing the Organization of Local Legislative Body amended and promul-
gated in 2018 regulate the meeting transparency of the local legislative body. Since 2020, whenever
local councils convene open meetings, the process and relevant information regarding the meetings
should be disclosed appropriately before, during, and after the meetings to improve the transparen-
cy of the local legislative body and ensure the right to be informed of the local people.

III. Political Parties

In a modern democratic system, political parties play a crucial role. They are not only a necessary
consequence of democratic politics, but also the essential criteria that promote the development

of democratic politics and guarantee its success. Likewise, many countries have certain guidelines
regarding the organization and activities of political parties to encourage their sound development.
Since martial law was lifted on July 15, 1987, political parties have been allowed to be established
liberally. In 1989, the MOI amended the Civil Associations Act to establish a legal foundation for the

political party system by adding provisions that regulate the registration and counseling of political
parties.

On December 6, 2017, the Political Parties Act was implemented to level the playing field of polit-

ical parties and to ensure that they operate with democratic principles. The basic spirit of the Political
Parties Act is to respect the self-discipline and autonomy of political parties. At the same time, com-
prehensive regulations regarding the activities, principals, elected personnel, finances, funds, and
withdrawal mechanisms were made to promote the full development of political parties. By Decem-
ber 31, 2022, there were 82 political parties in total.

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