National Congress of the Kuomintang

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Type
Term limits
Four years
Authority
Constitution of the Kuomintang
Jurisdiction
National Congress of the Kuomintang
中國國民黨全國代表大會
Logo
Emblem of the Kuomintang
Type
Type
Term limits
Four years
Leadership
Authority
Constitution of the Kuomintang
Jurisdiction

The National Congress of the Kuomintang is the highest organ of power in the Kuomintang. It is held annually and convened by the Central Committee.

Delegates to the National Congress serve a four-year term, with no restrictions prohibiting re-election. They are composed of delegates elected by party branches at all levels, members of the Central Committee, and delegates approved by the Central Committee's Standing Committee, with the latter two groups comprising no more than one-third. In addition to the regular annual meetings, the Central Committee may convene an extraordinary National Congress if deemed necessary or upon request by more than half of the municipal, county, or city-level party branches.

In 1923, Sun Yat-sen, Premier of the Kuomintang, accepted the advice of Mikhail Borodin, a Soviet advisor to the Communist International, and reorganized the Kuomintang into a Leninist party, modeled after the Russian Communist Party (Bolshevik) system, to facilitate the promotion of the "National Revolution" in China. The following year, the Kuomintang held its 1st National Congress. Throughout the Northern Expedition of the National Revolutionary Army, the Chinese Civil War, and even after the relocation of the ROC government to Taiwan in 1949, the Kuomintang maintained the rigid structure of a Leninist party.

Following Taiwan's democratization in the 1990s, the ROC government established a liberal democratic party system in areas under its de facto control, and the Kuomintang's delegates to its National Congress began implementing term limits. After losing power in the 2000 presidential election, the Kuomintang further restructured its organizational structure, strengthening direct democracy mechanisms among members and increasing the frequency of its National Congress meetings to better reflect grassroots public opinion and adapt to Taiwan's democratic electoral system. While the Kuomintang's current party system has aligned itself with those of mainstream democracies worldwide, it still retains some vestiges of a rigid political system.

Changes in the Kuomintang's Constitution regarding the Powers of the National Congress
matter Early regulations Current regulations
Frequency of National Congress meetings Unfixed, delegates are elected upon the Central Committee's decision (until 1993),

with a four-year term and meetings every two years (1993–2013)

 Representatives serve four-year terms and meet annually (since 2013)
Election of the Party Chairman National Congress election (2001) Direct election by all party members (since 2001)
Nomination of candidates for President and Vice President of the Republic of China Adopted by the plenary session of the Central Committee (1996–2016),

adopted by the National Congress (1996–2016)

 After nomination and election, it is submitted to the National Congress for approval (starting from 2016)

Powers

According to Article 19 of the Kuomintang Constitution, the main powers of the National Congress are:

  1. Explain the Party Constitution.
  2. Amend the Party Constitution.
  3. Determine the policy agenda.
  4. Review the work of the Central Committee.
  5. Discuss party affairs and political issues.
  6. Agree to appoint the Vice Chairman nominated by the Party Chairman.
  7. Approve or ratify the Central Review Committee members nominated by the Party Chairman.
  8. Approved by the party's nominees for president and vice president.
  9. Approve the party's property and financial status final statement for the previous year.
  10. Matters concerning the merger and dissolution of the party.

In addition, the party constitution also includes its powers

  • Election of members of the Central Committee (Article 20)
  • Election of members of the Central Standing Committee (Article 22)
  • Chairman of the Presidium of the Central Review Committee meeting approved by the Party Chairman (Article 24)

Previous National Congresses

See also

References

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