Is Taiwan a democratic country?
No. The people cannot change the government through the electoral process, and although the government has lifted martial law and other emergency regulations, it continues to place serious restraints on civil and political rights. Yet, under pressure from grass-roots organizations and the democratic movement, Taiwan’s government has been forced to make political reforms in recent years. There is greater freedom of expression and freedom to organize than during the martial law period(1949-1987). There will be elections for most parliamentary seats in 1996. However, there will still be seats representing China in the parliament, and it remains to be seen whether the KMT will let itself be voted out of office.
