TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taipei's population has dipped below 2.5 million, potentially affecting its governance structure under current laws. Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) addressed the issue on Monday (Jan. 13), urging the city to increase its registered population to 2.5 million to avoid legal complications.
Current legislation permits a third deputy mayor for municipalities with populations exceeding 2.5 million. Taipei's population fell below this threshold in March 2022 and only briefly exceeded it in May 2023. It dropped again in September 2024, with the latest count at around 2,490,000.
Kuomintang (KMT, 國民黨) legislators Lee Yen-hsiu (李彥秀) and Hsu Chiao-hsin (徐巧芯) have proposed amending the "Local Government Act" (地方制度法) to remove the population threshold, allowing three deputy mayors regardless of population. Lee also suggested changes to allow counties with over 2% of the national population to appoint an additional deputy county mayor.
The Legislative Yuan's Internal Affairs and Judiciary and Organic Laws and Statutes committees reviewed the act on Monday. Before attending the Legislative Yuan, Liu noted that the third deputy mayor remains unaffected for now. She emphasized the importance of reaching the 2.5 million mark to avoid future legal adjustments.
