At Stake in this Election: 

• The Presidency of Taiwan 

The legislative election will be held concurrently.

Government Structure:  

• Chief of State: President TSAI Ing-wen (since 20 May 2016) 

• Head of Government: Premier CHEN Chien-jen (since 25 January 2023) 

• Assembly: unicameral Legislative Yuan (中華民國立法院) with 113 seats

Electoral System:  

• The President is directly elected by plurality vote and may serve up to two 4-year terms. The President and Vice President run as a slate. 

• The Premier is appointed by the President. 

• In the Legislative Yuan, 73 members are elected by plurality vote in single-seat constituencies, and 34 are elected by proportional representation vote from a single, nationwide constituency. An additional 6 members are elected by aboriginal communities by proportional representation vote in multi-seat constituencies. All 113 members are directly elected and serve 4-year terms.

Last Election: 

In the 2020 presidential election, TSAI Ing-wen (DPP) won in a single round with 57.13% of the vote, defeating Daniel HAN and James SOONG. Voter turnout was 74.9%.

New/Unique in this Election:  

The Civil Servants Election and Recall Act was amended in May 2023 to prohibit individuals from running for public office if they have been convicted of certain crimes, including money laundering, fraud, and national security offenses. The amendments also increase barriers for political parties to nominate candidates who have been convicted of these crimes. In July 2023, the Constitutional Court upheld an amendment to Article 146 of the Criminal Code which punishes individuals who changed their household registrations to vote in places where they did not live, work or study.

Information for Voters: 

Introduction to Elections in Taiwan / 選舉簡介 (in English and Taiwanese)

Key Deadlines: 

• Candidate filing deadline: 24 November 2023 

• Voter registration deadline: N/A; Taiwan uses a passive, residence-based voter registration system.

Main Candidates in this Election: 

• HOU Yu-ih 

• Party: Kuomintang (KMT) 

• LAI “William” Ching-te 

• Party: Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) 

• KO Wen-je 

• Taiwan People’s Party (TPP)

Population and Registered Voters: 

• Population: 23,829,897 (2020) 

• Registered Voters: 19,548,531 (2023)

Gender Data: 

• Female Population: 12,082,199 (2020) 

• CEDAW Status: Taiwan is not a U.N. member state and is ineligible to be a state party to the treaty. However, Taiwan did sign CEDAW in 2007. 

• Gender Quota: No 

• Female Candidates in this election: No 

• Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: 9.2 (2023)

Disability Data: 

• CRPD Status: Taiwan is not a U.N. member state and has not signed the CRPD, but it has passed laws designed to bring Taiwanese policies in line with CRPD standards. 

• Projected population with a disability: 3,182,784 (2020)

IFES Resources: 

• Does IFES have a presence in Taiwan: No  

• Election Access: Yes 

• Election Judgements: Yes, 1 resource