ABSTRACT
Although Taiwan only held its first full national multi-party election in 1991, it has a history of regular and competitive local elections stretching back into the 1930s. After briefly reviewing Taiwan’s early history, this chapter discusses the establishment of the authoritarian Republic of China (ROC) regime in Taiwan, the KMT’s one party rule during the Martial Law era and the gradual transition to multi-party democracy. Next the key developments in Taiwan’s multi-party political system are sketched, including introducing election results, the main political actors and Taiwan’s major political parties.
