ABSTRACT
Taiwan has successfully transformed its election system from a Kuomintang controlled, authoritative operation to a highly praised democratic model. The achievement was collectively made by political leaders including the ruling party, the opposition party, scholars, and other activists. A series of electoral reform took place during the fourth quarter of the twentieth century. Implementation of those reforms fell to a group of stable forces in the government, the bureaucrats. Focusing on how the independent election managing authority evolved, how the once restrictive controls over campaign activity were eased, how a transparent voting process was gradually built, and the other measures taken to upgrade the democratic operation of Taiwan's elections, this chapter maintains focus on the role bureaucrats had in the development of Taiwan's electoral democracy. The chapter demonstrates that the impartiality and professionalism of those bureaucrats showed in implementing elections deserves credit for the success of Taiwan's democracy.
