ABSTRACT
The constitution of the Republic of China took effect on December 25, 1947; the first substantive amendments were not added until 1991. In the intervening decades the ROC constitution's spirit was honored mostly in the breach, for its democratic elements were suspended in the wake of the Chinese Civil War. Since 1990, the constitution has encountered a new set of challenges, undergoing seven significant reforms: 1991, 1992, 1994, 1997, 1999, 2000 and 2005. How was it, then, that in 2007 – before the 2005 reforms had even taken effect – Taiwanese politicians were once again consumed by a rancorous debate over yet another round of constitutional change, potentially the most far-reaching to date?
