The Standing Committee of the 10th National People’s Congress
(NPC),
China’s top legislative body, passed an amendment to the nation’s
Election Law on Wednesday, injecting more democracy into
grass-roots elections.
The 1979 Election Law covers elections to all levels of
legislative bodies, from the NPC to grass-roots bodies. Previous
amendments were passed in 1982, 1986 and 1995.
The new amendment introduces preliminary elections to the system
and strengthens prohibitions against bribery.
The Standing Committee also passed an amendment to the law on
the organization of local congresses before closing its six-day
session.
The amendment says extends the tenure of all local people’s
congresses to five years. People’s congresses at township level
previously held three-year terms, inconsistent with the five years
held at higher congresses.
Additionally, the Standing Committee approved internal
appointments of Li Lianning, He Yehui and Sun Wei as deputy
secretaries-general.
The new appointments are expected to invigorate the Standing
Committee’s lawmaking and supervisory capacities: Li holds a
master’s degree in civil law and He served in the country’s top
prosecutors’ office before being elected to the committee last
year.
NPC insiders said more professionals are needed in the country’s
top legislature because lawmaking is becoming increasingly
complicated. Members with technical, economics and legal
backgrounds are required to understand domestic market development
needs and the new legal theories necessary to support domestic
legislation.
The Election Law says that NPC deputies and deputies to the
people’s congresses of provinces, municipalities and larger cities
are elected by the people’s congresses at the next lower level.
Deputies to the people’s congresses of counties, smaller cities,
municipal districts, townships and towns are elected directly by
their constituencies.
Candidates may be nominated by political parties or
organizations or by groups of 10 or more voters. The list of
candidates in direct elections is finalized through discussion by
the electoral committee.
The amendment says that preliminary elections will be adopted
when the electoral committee cannot reach a consensus.
(China Daily October 28, 2004)