Signs of Change? An Analysis of Taiwan's December 2009 Local Elections
Under special circumstances created by a government decision to partly merge and upgrade six counties and county-level cities to special municipality status, local elections took place on December 5, 2009 in areas covering less than half of Taiwan's population. The results are generally seen as an important, though small, victory for the opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). The ruling Kuomintang (KMT) (Guomindang), however, has remained in a stable position, while the DPP still has a long way to go towards a comeback.
Taiwan's 1998 Local Elections: Appraising Steps in Democratization
The lore of Taiwan politics attributes considerable significance to local elections in the gradual democratization of the Republic of China (ROC). Yet, since the major reforms of the late 1980s, relatively little attention has focused on campaigns and voting for county and large city councillors and for small town mayors and village chiefs. To help fill this lacuna, we observed the January 1998 elections for these offices and compared them with those of January 1994. The importance of these positions and their occupants derives both from partisanship and factionalism surrounding the recruitment of candidates and election of officials and from the winners' participation in government. As local legislators and executives, they share responsibilities for policy and administration of 23 counties and cities in Taiwan Province and two sets of county islands in the remnants of Fujian Province, nestled against the continental mass of the People's Republic of China (PRC). These areas, now predominantly in control of the main opposition party, include more than 70% of the population of the ROC, 69% of local financial expenditures, and 83% of governmental revenues. Literally hundreds of local legislators and executives filling these posts participate in shaping and sharing power, wealth, status, and other valued objects among Taiwan's citizenry.
Protection of the Marine Environment: The International and National Regulation of Deep Seabed Mining Activities
This chapter provides an overview of the international and national regulatory framework pertaining to deep seabed mining activities. It begins by discussing the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, the backdrop for all marine activities – be they national or international – and examines the obligations of states to protect the marine environment from the harmful effects arising from deep seabed mining. Next, the chapter examines the international regime for deep seabed mining (i.e. “activities in the Area”), explaining the “common heritage of mankind” status of the Area (i.e. the international seabed); the functions of the International Seabed Authority (ISA), the international organization established to govern deep seabed mining in the Area; and the concept of state sponsorship of non-state entities (i.e. private actors) for deep seabed mining in the Area. The chapter follows with a discussion of the development of national legislation to regulate deep seabed mining, examining efforts in the Pacific region where many prospective deep-sea mining sites are located. This includes a look at the legislative regimes of several Pacific Island nations, namely, Papua New Guinea, Tonga and the Cook Islands, for whom deep seabed mining may soon become a reality – as well as New Zealand and Japan, countries with comparatively developed rule of law and legislative regimes that have undertaken or considered deep seabed mining in their national waters. Overall, the chapter critically describes and evaluates the current regulatory status in the international and national seabed areas and highlights some salient gaps that require urgent attention in order to ensure marine environmental protection and mitigate impacts on humans.