1948 Chinese presidential election

The 1948 Chinese presidential election was held on April 20, 1948, at the National Assembly House in Nanjing. The election was conducted by the National Assembly to elect the president and vice president of China. This was the first election under the newly adopted 1947 Constitution of the Republic of China, and the last prior to the retreat of the government of the Republic of China to Taiwan following their loss in the Civil War the following year.

1948 Chinese presidential election

← 1923 April 20, 1948 1954 →

All 3,045 votes of the National Assembly
1,523 votes needed to win
 
Nominee Chiang Kai-shek Ju Zheng
Party Kuomintang Kuomintang
Electoral vote 2,430 269
Percentage 90.03% 9.97%

President before election

Chiang Kai-shek
(as Chairman of Nationalist government)
Kuomintang

Elected President

Chiang Kai-shek
Kuomintang

This indirect election was held during the Chinese Civil War. Chiang Kai-shek, the incumbent leader of the Nationalist government, won a landslide victory against the same party candidate Ju Zheng in the presidential election. However, Sun Fo, Chiang's preferred vice-presidential candidate, was defeated by General Li Zongren in the vice-presidential elections.

Chiang and Li were inaugurated at the Presidential Palace in Nanjing on May 20, 1948. This also marked the transition of Nationalist government to the constitutional government.

Overview

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Delegates voting in the election.

After the Northern Expedition, the Kuomintang-led Nationalist government acquired control of a unified China nominally. The party began to draft a constitution to transit the government from tutelage period to constitutional period, according to the political philosophy of Sun Yat-sen.

During the Second Sino-Japanese War, China established a close partnership with the United States and was given military and financial supports. George Marshall was appointed ambassador to Chongqing, the wartime capital, as to broker a negotiation between the Kuomintang (Nationalist Party) and Communist Party after the war. Two parties agreed to rebuild the country with democratization and military nationalization.

Simultaneously, the Nationalist government continued to draft the Constitution of the Republic of China, however it was boycotted by the Communists and the full-scale Chinese Civil War was resumed.

Electors

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The election was conducted by the National Assembly in its meeting place National Assembly House in Nanjing. There were 2,961 delegates elected during the 1947 Chinese National Assembly election for the 3,045 seats. In total, there were 2,859 delegates reported to the secretariat to attend this first session of the first National Assembly.[1]

The election regulations had a 50% requirement for the president and vice president to be elected. Since there were 3,045 seats in the National Assembly, the candidates needed to obtain 1,523 votes to be elected. This requirement could be relieved if no candidate passed this threshold in the first three rounds of voting.

Results

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President

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Election results of the presidential election
CandidatePartyVotes%
Chiang Kai-shekKuomintang2,43090.03
Ju ZhengKuomintang2699.97
Total2,699100.00
Valid votes2,69998.72
Invalid/blank votes351.28
Total votes2,734100.00
Registered voters/turnout3,04589.79
Source: Schafferer[2]

Vice-President

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Election results of the 4th round vice-president election
 
Inaugural address by President Chiang Kai-shek
Party Candidate First round Second round Third round Fourth round
Votes % Votes % Votes % Votes %
Li Zongren Kuomintang 754 27.30 1,163 42.69 1,156 42.64 1,438 52.62
Sun Fo Kuomintang 559 20.24 945 34.69 1,040 38.36 1,295 47.38
Cheng Qian Kuomintang 522 18.90 616 22.61 515 19.00
Yu Youren Kuomintang 493 17.85
Mo Teh-hui Independent 218 7.89
Xu Fulin China Democratic Socialist Party 216 7.82
Total 2,762 100.00 2,724 100.00 2,711 100.00 2,733 100.00

Vice President Candidates

Previous and next elections

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There were some regime changes in China during the first half of the 20th century. Depending on the definition, possible previous and next elections for the leader of China are listed below.

Order Election Political entity Title (term) Electoral college
Previous 1923 Chinese presidential election   Republic of China (1912–1949) President the Republic of China (3rd) National Assembly (1st, Beiyang government)
1943 Chinese chairmanship election   Republic of China (1912–1949) Chairman of the Nationalist government (4th) Central Committee of Kuomintang
Next 1949 Chinese chairmanship election   People's Republic of China Chairman of the Central People's Government Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference
1954 Chinese presidential election   Republic of China (on Taiwan) President the Republic of China (2nd) National Assembly (1st, Constitutional government)

See also

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References

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  1. ^ 第一屆國民大會第一次會議實錄
  2. ^ Christian Schafferer (2003) The Power of the Ballot Box: Political Development and Election Campaigning in Taiwan