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Equal say for farmers, city folks
Source: Xinhua |
March 11, 2010, Thursday
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CHINA'S top legislature on Monday began to discuss granting equal representation in people's congresses to rural and urban people.
A draft amendment to the Electoral Law, tabled at the ongoing annual full session of the National People's Congress (NPC) for third reading, requires that "rural and urban areas adopt the same ratio of deputies to the represented population in elections of people's congress deputies."
The Electoral Law was enacted in 1953 and completely revised in 1979. It then underwent four minor amendments. After the last amendment in 1995, the law stipulated that each rural deputy represented a population four times that of an urban deputy. Critics said this could be interpreted as "farmers only enjoy a quarter of the suffrage of their urban counterparts."
Before the amendment in 1995, the difference was eight times. "Such stipulations were necessary and conformed with China's political system and the particular situation at that time," said Wang Zhaoguo, vice chairman of the NPC Standing Committee,
According to the 1953 national census, the urban population made up only about 13 percent. The rural population was much more than that of cities at that time and an equal ratio of rural and urban representation would have meant an excessive number of rural deputies.
With rapid urbanization and rural economic development, the proportion of the urban population increased to 46.6 percent last year. "The time is right for equal representation," which is conducive to expanding democracy, Wang said.
Liu Wenxi, a farmer of Shandong Province's Yuncheng County, said there are now very few lawmakers from the countryside, and many urban deputies understand little about rural conditions so "even when they make suggestions on agricultural issues, the proposals are more or less divorced from reality."
The number of deputies to the NPC is now limited within 3,000, and the distribution of the NPC deputies is decided by the NPC Standing Committee, according to the law.
A draft amendment to the Electoral Law, tabled at the ongoing annual full session of the National People's Congress (NPC) for third reading, requires that "rural and urban areas adopt the same ratio of deputies to the represented population in elections of people's congress deputies."
The Electoral Law was enacted in 1953 and completely revised in 1979. It then underwent four minor amendments. After the last amendment in 1995, the law stipulated that each rural deputy represented a population four times that of an urban deputy. Critics said this could be interpreted as "farmers only enjoy a quarter of the suffrage of their urban counterparts."
Before the amendment in 1995, the difference was eight times. "Such stipulations were necessary and conformed with China's political system and the particular situation at that time," said Wang Zhaoguo, vice chairman of the NPC Standing Committee,
According to the 1953 national census, the urban population made up only about 13 percent. The rural population was much more than that of cities at that time and an equal ratio of rural and urban representation would have meant an excessive number of rural deputies.
With rapid urbanization and rural economic development, the proportion of the urban population increased to 46.6 percent last year. "The time is right for equal representation," which is conducive to expanding democracy, Wang said.
Liu Wenxi, a farmer of Shandong Province's Yuncheng County, said there are now very few lawmakers from the countryside, and many urban deputies understand little about rural conditions so "even when they make suggestions on agricultural issues, the proposals are more or less divorced from reality."
The number of deputies to the NPC is now limited within 3,000, and the distribution of the NPC deputies is decided by the NPC Standing Committee, according to the law.
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