unicameral Legislative Yuan (113 seats - 73 district members elected
by popular vote, 34 at-large members elected on basis of proportion
of islandwide votes received by participating political parties, 6
elected by popular vote among aboriginal populations; to serve
four-year terms); parties must receive 5% of vote to qualify for
at-large seats
elections: Legislative Yuan - last held 12 January 2008 (next to be
held in January 2012)
election results: Legislative Yuan - percent of vote by party - KMT
53.5%, DPP 38.2%, NPSU 2.4%, PFP 0.3%, others 1.6%, independents 4%;
seats by party - KMT 81, DPP 27, NPSU 3, PFP 1, independent 1

Judicial branch:

Judicial Yuan (justices appointed by the president with consent of
the Legislative Yuan)

Political parties and leaders:

Democratic Progressive Party or DPP [TSAI Ing-wen]; Kuomintang or
KMT (Nationalist Party) [WU Po-hsiung]; Non-Partisan Solidarity
Union or NPSU [CHANG Po-ya]; People First Party or PFP [James SOONG]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Organization for Taiwan Nation Building; World United Formosans for
Independence
other: environmental groups; independence movement; various business
groups
note: debate on Taiwan independence has become acceptable within the
mainstream of domestic politics on Taiwan; political liberalization
and the increased representation of opposition parties in Taiwan's
legislature have opened public debate on the island's national
identity; a broad popular consensus has developed that the island
currently enjoys sovereign independence and - whatever the ultimate
outcome regarding reunification or independence - that Taiwan's
people must have the deciding voice; public opinion polls
consistently show a substantial majority of Taiwan people supports
maintaining Taiwan's status quo for the foreseeable future;
advocates of Taiwan independence oppose the stand that the island
will eventually unify with mainland China; goals of the Taiwan
independence movement include establishing a sovereign nation on
Taiwan and entering the UN

International organization participation:

ADB, APEC, BCIE, ICC, IOC, ITUC, WCL, WFTU, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

none; unofficial commercial and cultural relations with the people
of the US are maintained through an unofficial instrumentality, the
Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO), which
has its headquarters in Taipei and in the US in Washingto