Semi-presidentialism has been adopted by Republic of China (R.O.C.) since 1997 constitutional amendment. The system features the mix of parliamentarism plus presidentialism. In R.O.C., it is common to see politicians put forward the idea of constitutional reform during election campaign, but with in-depth observation, they only tell the public why the system should be reformed instead of what possible impacts may come with.
Regarding to the problems caused by the existing constitutional system, the thesis attempts to prove that the problems should be solved by adjusting the system first and taking the diversity of society and culture into account. Replacing the existing system with the new one can’t solve long-term problems. Therefore, it points to the conclusion that our semi-presidential system shouldn’t be replaced by others. Instead, influence factors such as political situation should be improved to settle the existing controversies.
Chapter one introduces the research questions and the research background to pave the way for the following chapters. In chapter two, the research method, Path Dependence, is adopted in the analysis of formulating, revising and amending the R.O.C. Constitution since the Revolution of 1911. The analysis allows to explore the correlation between the historical backgrounds and each discussion on replacing the constitutional system. Chapter three reviews and combs through the supertypes and subtypes of semi-presidentialism, and discusses the two controversies discussed the most and regarded as the “the most important” reasons of amending the R.O.C. Constitution: they are the problems of government’s power and responsibility, and the possibility of cohabitation.
Chapter four analyzes the possibility of replacing the existing constitutional system with parliamentarism in terms of theories, benefits and drawbacks. At the end of this chapter proves it is not feasible to implement parliamentarism in R.O.C. Chapter five analyzes the possibility of replacing the existing system with presidentialism by comparing advantages, disadvantages and subsequent impacts. Chapter six researches our current situation from the aspects of electoral system, legal procedure and society, which attempt to prove the idea of constitutional reform is not absolutely necessary but only the political language. The last chapter provides the author’s conclusion and advices.
The study expects to provide researchers a different perspective of the constitutional system by analyzing and integrating influences and impacts caused by the current political situation. Despite existing constitutional system has been exercised over 20 years and faced many critics before this thesis was completed, it is observed that no serious problems has occurred. Hence, in the face of politicians’ voices on constitutional reform, it is necessary to think over whether our constitutional system need to be reformed and whether the system can respond the impacts brought by reform. If the problems of the existing constitutional system can’t be solved, how can our government deal with others came along with the new system in the future? Therefore, our government shouldn’t insist on replacing the existing system without giving sufficient explanations to the public. Instead, they should reflect on how to improve and solve current problems caused by our semi-presidential system to attain a stable and durable constitutional system.