Additional Articles of the Constitution of the Republic of China

The Additional Articles of the Constitution of the Republic of China are the revisions and constitutional amendments to the original constitution of the Republic of China to "meet the requisites of the nation" after democratic reforms and adjust to the political status of Taiwan. The Additional Articles are usually attached after the original constitution as a separate document. It also has its own preamble and article ordering different from the original constitution.

The Additional Articles serve as the fundamental law of the present government of the Republic of China on Taiwan since 1991, and were last amended in 2005. The Additional Articles will sunset in the event the Republic of China regains control of the Mainland Area.

Main provisions
The current Additional Articles of the Constitution entail 12 articles:
 * Article 1: Referendum on amendment to the Constitution and alteration of the national territory.
 * Article 2: President and the vice president.
 * Article 3: Premier and the Executive Yuan.
 * Article 4: Legislative Yuan.
 * Article 5: Judicial Yuan.
 * Article 6: Examination Yuan.
 * Article 7: Control Yuan.
 * Article 8: Remuneration and pay of the members of the Legislative Yuan.
 * Article 9: Local governments.
 * Article 10: Fundamental national policy.
 * Article 11: Cross-Strait relations (rights and obligations between people of the free area and mainland China).
 * Article 12: Procedure for amending the Constitution.

Free area
The territory controlled by the Government of the Republic of China changed significantly after the Chinese Civil War, and the Republic of China could not hold elections in territories it did not control. Thus, the Additional Articles of the Constitution defines the Free Area (Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: ) to be the territory and the people under the government's effective jurisdiction. Whilst all residents of China are nominally citizens of the Republic, only the citizens who have the right to abode in the Free Area may exercise the full civil and political rights, including right of abode and suffrage.

Direct presidential election
The Additional Articles requires direct election of the President by the citizens of the free area. The first direct presidential election was held in 1996. Under the original constitution, the President was elected indirectly by the National Assembly.

Government reform and reorganization
The Additional Articles of the Constitution reformed the government of the Republic of China from a parliamentary system to a de facto semi-presidential system. The National Assembly is de facto abolished, and its functions are exercised directly by the citizens of the Free area. The five-power governmental structure is retained, though it functions closer to the traditional Western trias politica in practice.

Constitutional referendum
A 2005 amendment regarding on referendum stated that a constitutional amendment or an alteration of the national territory has to be ratified by more than half (50%) of voters of the Free Area in a referendum after passed in the Legislative Yuan with a three-quarters majority. Before that, constitutional amendments and national territory alterations were ratified by the National Assembly.

Comparison of the governmental structure
Most of the amendments brought by the Additional Articles focuses on the mechanism of separation of powers among central governmental organs. The Additional Articles changed the form of government from parliamentary system to semi-presidential system, enhance the implementation of direct democracy and direct election, reduce the chambers of parliament, and simplify the hierarchy of local governments.

History of amendments
The Additional Articles of the Constitution have been amended seven times since the 1990s.