Sixteen candidates contesting four positions in Nanjing's Municipal Government took part yesterday in a TV debate, the first of its kind in China. The posts up for grabs were the directors of the city's labor bureau, drug surveillance bureau, tourism bureau and government administration bureau.

The debate was one of a number of initiatives to promote more open and transparent methods of selecting officials. The city leadership decided to select another 47 officials by open recommendation and selection at the beginning of the year. On that occasion, 34 out of 47 incumbents were re-elected.

The sixteen candidates, who include three women and a non-Communist official, each gave a five-minute speech and answered questions. The average age of the candidates was 47.

A studio audience of more than 240 people from all walks of life was invited to comment and vote on the candidates. For each of the four posts, the three candidates with the most votes will be recommended to the Nanjing Municipal Party Committee and its Standing Committee for final selection.

Public hotlines were set up to allow residents to express their opinions on the candidates to the studio audience. "The voters took public opinion into account. Consulting public opinion helps the public supervise the whole procedure," said Liu Anning, an official from Nanjing Municipal government.

"Although Nanjing residents didn't vote directly on the candidates, they had an opportunity to express their opinions and even report any illegal behavior on the part of the candidates. It is one way for residents to participate in the election," said Sang Xuecheng, a professor at Jiangsu Provincial Party School. 　

(China.org.cn by Wu Nanlan March 28, 2008)