Since M. Duverger proposed the concept of "semi-presidentialism," which differs from presidential and parliamentary systems, it has sparked great interest and discussion in the field of political science. After the constitutional amendment in 1997, our country officially transitioned from a modified parliamentary system to a semi-presidential system, moving towards a path of "constitutional presidentialization." However, the contemporary world is facing unprecedented challenges, with many emerging or established democratic nations at risk of democratic setbacks. The concept of "illiberal democracy" discussed by F. Zakaria has undoubtedly served as a wake-up call, as an increasing number of democratic countries are showing signs of encroachment on individual freedoms and democratic principles. In January 2021, the Yazhou Zhoukan (Asia Weekly) magazine labeled our country as a "democratically elected autocracy" and considered President Tsai Ing-wen as a leader of a new authoritarianism, which aligns with the concept of "illiberal democracy" mentioned earlier. Therefore, this paper will focus on the years of President Tsai's governance (2016-2022) to study the following research question: Although our government is produced through a fair and competitive electoral process, is the phenomenon of "constitutional presidentialization" resulting from our "semi-presidential system" leading to the restriction of citizen freedoms and political rights, characteristic of a "illiberal democracy"? This is the issue that this paper intends to delve into.
