Institutional Aspect of Democratic Consolidation: A Taiwan Experience

By procedural definitions of democracy, Taiwan appears to have become a democratic country since its much-publicized first direct presidential election in 1996. But the issue of whether Taiwan has consolidated or will consolidate its democracy remains a matter of debate. Unlike many other newly-democratized countries, Taiwan’s main concern over its democratic consolidation lies not so much in its military’s attitude toward the possibility of an opposition party coming to power but in the ability of the political system, a semi-presidential system established in the summer of 1997, to survive future party competition.