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Taiwan's national government is based on the constitution of 1947 (amended in 1992, 1994, and 1997), which was drawn up to govern the whole of China; when the Nationalist government moved to Taiwan in 1949, most countries still recognized it as the government of all China, and it has continued to assert that claim, regarding Taiwan itself as only a province.
The national government is made up of five yuan, or branches. The Executive yuan, where most political power rests, is similar to a cabinet and is headed by a popularly elected president; the Legislative yuan, which is elected, handles all legislation; the Judicial yuan is appointed by the president and serves as the highest judicial authority; the Control yuan is in charge of censorship and such political matters as censure and impeachment; and the Examination yuan supervises examinations for government positions. An elected national assembly is empowered to amend the constitution. The dominant political party is the Kuomintang (KMT; Nationalist party); the Democratic Progressive party, formed in Oct., 1986, is the KMT's main opposition.
Theoretically separate from the national government is the government of Taiwan province, which includes all of Taiwan except for the cities of Taipei and Kaohsing. The province is administered by a governor, which in 1994 became an elective post, and a 79-member provincial assembly.
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