National Assembly (Republic of China)

National Assembly

國民大會

Guómín Dàhuì (Mandarin Pinyin)
Kuo²-min² Ta⁴-hui⁴ (Wade-Giles)
Kok-bîn Tāi-hōe (Taiwanese)
Koet-mìn Thai-fi (Hakka)
Type
Type
History
Founded29 March 1948; 76 years ago (1948-03-29)
DisbandedIn mainland China:
1 October 1949; 75 years ago (1949-10-01) (Proclamation of the PRC, de facto)
In Taiwan:
7 June 2005; 19 years ago (2005-06-07) (Constitution amended, de facto)
Preceded byNational Assembly (Beiyang government)
Succeeded byIn mainland China:
Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and later National People's Congress
In Taiwan:
Direct presidential elections, constitutional referendums, Legislative Yuan, and Constitutional Court of Judicial Yuan
Seats
  • 3,045 (1947)
  • 300 (2005)
Elections
First general election
21 November 1947; 77 years ago (1947-11-21)
Last general election
14 May 2005; 19 years ago (2005-05-14)
Meeting place
National Great Hall, Nanjing (1948)
Zhongshan Hall, Taipei (1954–1966)
Chung-Shan Building, Taipei (1972–2005)
Constitution
Additional Articles and the original
Constitution of the Republic of China
National Assembly
Traditional Chinese國民大會
Simplified Chinese国民大会
Literal meaningAssembly of the Nationals
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinGuómín Dàhuì
Bopomofoㄍㄨㄛˊ ㄇㄧㄣˊ ㄉㄚˋ ㄏㄨㄟˋ
Wade–GilesKuo²-min² Ta⁴-hui⁴
Hakka
Pha̍k-fa-sṳKoet-mìn Thai-fi
Southern Min
Hokkien POJKok-bîn Tāi-hōe
Tâi-lôKok-bîn Tāi-huē

The National Assembly was the authoritative legislative body of the Republic of China, from 1947 to 2005. Along with the Control Yuan (upper house) and the Legislative Yuan (lower house), the National Assembly formed the tricameral parliament of the Republic of China.

Similar to other electoral colleges, the National Assembly had elected the President and Vice President under the 1947 Constitution of the Republic of China with the role of the constituent assembly that aimed to amend the country's constitution.

The first National Assembly was elected in November 1947 and met in Nanjing in March 1948. However, in the next year, the Kuomintang-led government of the Republic of China lost mainland China in the Civil War and retreated to Taiwan. The National Assembly resumed its meeting in Taipei in 1954. In the 1990s, its parliamentary powers were gradually transferred to the Legislative Yuan and direct democracy exercised by the de facto residents before constitutional amendments made it a dormant body in 2000 and de facto dissolved in 2005.