Almost 30 percent of the delegates elected to the upcoming 17th
National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) are from
the local level, in both the public and private sectors, which
makes it the best represented congress compared with the three
previous meetings.
The voting turnout of the 70 million CPC members nationwide
reached more than 98 percent, higher than the rate five years ago,
the Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee said.
The rules of election for Party delegates were decided by the
CPC Central Committee and the Political Bureau, headed by Hu Jintao, raised detailed instructions on
electoral units.
According to the rules approved by the top leadership, every
delegate to the 17th Party Congress has to abide by the Party
Constitution and conscientiously study Marxism, Leninism, Mao
Zedong Thought, Deng Xiaoping Theory and the important thought of
Three Represents.
The delegates are also required to implement the Party's basic
line, principle and policy and keep up with the Party central
leadership. They should also have high integrity and close links
with the populace, and are urged to honestly express the opinions
of Party members and people they represent.
With the guidance of the central leadership, electoral units
made use of various means including electronic tools such as cable
TV networks and the Internet to mobilize Party members to recommend
their candidates and appraise their candidacy.
Fishermen in coastal Zhejiang Province were notified via
high-frequency radio on candidate recommendation. Some migrant
workers who are living and working away from their permanent
residence were contacted through phone calls and emails. Most of
them responded immediately to inquiries on candidate recommendation
and their own comments.
Deng Xianhua, a banking regulator in Chongqing Municipality, said in an interview
with Xinhua, "We are totally free to recommend our trusted Party
members."
At least 15 percent more candidates were provided in elections
at various levels. The elected delegates have received rigorous
scrutiny for their qualification and merits.
Among the finally elected delegates, women accounted for 20.1
percent and ethnic people made up 10.9 percent. About 93.3 percent
have received higher education and 70.4 percent are younger than 55
years old.
(Xinhua News Agency August 6, 2007)