Constitution of the Republic of China (1947)

The ROC charter, authored on the mainland, governing Taiwan after 1949.

Overview

Adopted December 25, 1947 and effective a year later, the ROC Constitution created a five power government with an executive, legislative, judicial, control, and examination yuan, blending Sun Yat sens three principles of the people with Western constitutional design. When the republic retreated to Taiwan in 1949, temporary provisions effective from 1948 suspended parts and entrenched presidential emergency rule during mobilization. Democratization from the late 1980s saw the provisions lifted in 1991 and additional articles rework the constitution for the Taiwan area, direct presidential elections from 1996, referendums, and constitutional court review. It anchors Taiwans constitutional identity today.