Sichuan Communist Party Officials Introduce Internal Party Reforms

Sichuan officials recently announced a series of internal Party reforms, according to an April 20 Beijing News article. The reforms include introducing internally competitive elections for Party positions, reducing the number of leadership positions, and reforming the system used to evaluate Party officials. These reforms appear broadly consistent with recent official efforts to introduce a limited degree of popular participation in the selection of government and Party officials. While streamlining local bureaucracy, however, the changes also appear to concentrate power in the hands of a smaller number of people.