'ai-chung, T'ai-chung*, T'ai-nan, T'ai-nan*, T'ai-pei, T'ai-pei**,
T'ai-tung, T'ao-yuan, and Yun-lin; the provincial capital is at
Chung-hsing-hsin-ts'un

note: Taiwan uses the Wade-Giles system for romanization

National holiday: Republic Day (Anniversary of the Chinese
Revolution), 10 October (1911)

Constitution: 1 January 1947, amended in 1992, 1994, 1997, and 1999

Legal system: based on civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction, with reservations

Suffrage: 20 years of age; universal

Executive branch: chief of state: President CHEN Shui-bien (20 May
2000) and Vice President Annette LU (since 20 May 2000)

head of government: Premier (President of the Executive Yuan) CHANG
Chun-hsiung (since NA October 2000) and Vice Premier (Vice President
of the Executive Yuan) LAI In-jaw (since NA October 2000)

cabinet: Executive Yuan appointed by the president

elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket
by popular vote for four-year terms; election last held 18 March
2000 (next to be held NA March 2004); premier appointed by the
president; vice premiers appointed by the president on the
recommendation of the premier

election results: CHEN Shui-bien elected president; percent of vote
- CHEN Shui-bien (DPP) 39.3%, James SOONG (independent) 36.84%, LIEN
Chan (KMT) 23.1%, HSU Hsin-liang (independent) 0.63%, LEE Ao (CNP)
0.13%

Legislative branch: unicameral Legislative Yuan (225 seats - 168
elected by popular vote, 41 elected on the basis of the proportion
of nationwide votes received by participating political parties,
eight elected from overseas Chinese constituencies on the basis of
the proportion of nationwide votes received by participating
political parties, eight elected by popular vote among the
aboriginal populations; members serve three-year terms) and
unicameral National Assembly (300 seats, note - total number of
seats has been reduced from 334 to 300 since the last election;
members are elected by proportional representation based on the
election of the Legislative Yuan and serve four-year terms)

elections: Legislative Yuan - last held 5 December 1998 (next to be
held NA December 2001); National Assembly - last held 23 March 1996
(next to be held NA June 2002)

election results: Legislative Yuan - percent of vote by party - KMT
46%, DPP 29%, CNP 7%, independents 10%, other parties 8%; seats by
party - KMT 123, DPP 70, CNP 11, independents 15, other partie