Local Government Act Article 55

Special municipalities shall have a mayor who shall represent the special municipality in external affairs and administer the affairs of the special municipality. The mayor shall be popularly elected to a term of four (4) years and may be re-elected to a second term. Special municipalities shall have three (3) deputy mayors who shall assist the mayor in handling municipal affairs; deputy mayors shall hold positions equivalent to Grade 14. The deputy mayors are appointed by the mayor, and the appointment shall be submitted to the Executive Yuan for recordation.Governments of special municipalities shall have one(1) secretary general, who shall be appointed and dismissed by the mayor in accordance with the Civil Service Employment Act, and three (3) deputy secretaries general, who shall be appointed and dismissed by the mayor in accordance with law. Except for heads of the departments of budget, accounting and statistics, personnel, police, and government ethics, who shall be appointed and dismissed in accordance with specific laws governing personnel administration, heads of first-level units and subordinate first-level agencies shall hold positions equivalent to Grade 13 and shall be appointed and dismissed by the mayor.Deputy mayors and heads of units and agencies who hold positions equivalent to Grade 13 shall resign their positions when the mayor completes their term, resigns, is dismissed, or in the event of the mayor’s death.Mayors elected in accordance with Paragraph 1 shall take their oath of office on the day the term of the previous administration ends.The provisions of Paragraphs 1 and 2, as amended on November 21, 2025, shall take effect on January 1, 2026.