Party Experiments With Limited Public Participation in Selecting Local Officials

Chinese officials are experimenting with reforms that allow a limited degree of public participation by citizens in the selection of local Communist Party officials. Ouyang Song, Deputy Director of the Party's Organization Department and Deputy Director of the Leading Group for the "advanced education" campaign, noted at a March 1 State Council press conference that these "public nomination, direct election" experiments are currently under way in 217 counties in 13 provinces.

While these reforms allow some citizen participation in the selection of the local Party officials who control local governments, they remain highly limited in practice. Experimental projects in many localities only grant citizens a small role in the nomination of potential candidates, allow Party committees significant authority to strike names from the nominee lists, and give Party members the final authority to choose officials.

These experimental "public nomination, direct election" reforms are not completely new. Party regulations issued in 1995 and 2002 granted officials the discretion to permit public participation in the nomination of local Party and government leaders, but warned that Party selection of nominees should not depend solely on the total number of votes received in the nomination process. The 2002 regulations permit competition among different nominees for Party and government posts.

Under the 2002 regulations, Party control remains complete throughout the selection process. Higher-level Party organizations control nomination proceedings. Party committee approval is required after nominee competition takes place. Party approval is also required before nominees for government positions may be confirmed.

Party Control Over Local Government

The 1999 Central Party Regulations on the Work of Grassroots Rural Organizations charge township, town, and village Party organizations with control over all local political institutions, including all government bureaus and institutions of local self-governance such as villager committees. These Party organizations are charged with carrying out Party policies designated by higher-level organizations, including the management of social order and population planning policies. Township Party organizations also control local elections for village committees.

Relevant Party Regulations on Selection Procedures

Articles 12 and 71 of the 2002 Regulations on the Selection of Party and Government Leaders and Articles 10, 15, and 51 of the 1995 Temporary Regulations on the Selection of Party and Government Leaders granted officials discretion to permit public participation in the nomination of local Party and government leaders. Article 9 of the 1995 regulations and Article 17 of the 2002 regulations warn that Party selection of nominees should not depend solely on on the total number of votes received in the nomination process. Articles 49 to 61 of the 2002 regulations provide for competition between different nominees for Party and government posts. Party controls over nomination proceedings and approval of the results are specified in Articles 13 and 35 of the 2002 regulations.

Examples Of "Public Participation, Direct Election" Experiments

Wanping community (shequ), Beijing - March 2 Beijing Radio Net article.

Wanping community elections for the six members of the local Party committee allowed a) joint nominations for candidates by 10 individuals, either Party or non-Party members; b) self-nominations by Party members; and c) organizational nominations by Party organizations. This process generated 11 nominees, who were narrowed to eight final candidates through the use of written and oral tests. Of these eight, five had been nominated by non-Party members. Party members then voted on these eight in order to select the six members of the local Party committee.

Sanjian Township, Hunan - January 25, 2006 Hunan Daily article, reposted on the Huaxia Web site.

Elections for the Sanjian township Party committee employed an open nomination process that generated 14 preliminary candidates after a series of speeches and votes. The Sanjian Party committee then selected 11 final candidates. A meeting of all township Party members then elected the Party secretary, four Party committee members, and three discipline committee members.

Longtoupu Township, Hunan - February 27 Xiaoxiang Daily article, reposted on the Xinhua Web site.

The Shifeng district (qu) Party committee above Longtoupu township accepted nominations for the position of township Party committee. Self-nominations and nominations by others were accepted. The selection of the Party committee employed a two stage selection process. First, a nomination meeting with 16 candidates. Township Party members and ordinary citizen delegates selected among these candidates, with the proportion of ordinary citizen participants set at 30 percent (or 136) of the number of Party members (433). Second, a Party-only election, in which Party members chose seven Party committee members from among the nine remaining candidates.

Beibei District, Chongqing - February 17 Xinhua article.

The selection process for township level Party committee of Beibei district employed a multi-stage process to choose between 50 applicants. First, a written test eliminated 30 candidates. Second, "public nominations" by ordinary citizens resulted in the elimination of four candidates. Third, a selection stage by the district Party committee resulted in the elimination of four candidates. Fourth, the 12 remaining candidates stood for elections before Party members, who selected the township Party secretary, three deputy secretaries, and five Party committee members.

For details on these efforts and the relevant regulations, see section V(e), Democratic Governance and Legislative Reform, of the Commission's 2005 Annual Report.