National Constituent Assembly

The National Constituent Assembly was a constituent assembly in the Republic of China, assembled for drafting the Constitution of the Republic of China. Meetings were convened in November and December 1946 at National Great Hall, Nanjing. Boycotted by Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its allies, the Assembly was joined by Chinese Nationalist Party (or Kuomintang, KMT), Young China Party (Youth), and China Democratic Socialist Party (CDSP), with delegates directly or indirectly elected. The Constitution drafted by the Assembly was considered to have resulted in the issue of Two Chinas with distinct constitutions. Background Under Plans (or Fundamentals) of National Reconstruction proposed by Sun Yat-sen, later honoured as founding father of the Republic of China, the revolution was divided into three stages: military-rule, political tutelage, and constitutional government. One of the earliest constitutions of the Republic of China was promulgated by Cao Kun in 1923 (Tsao's Constitution; 曹錕憲法). The junta based in Canton, led by Sun from Kuomintang, boycotted the enactment and called for the convocation of National Convention for drafting a new constitution.