CCTV has posted a video of a village election in Jiangmei Village of Fujian Province. Elections currently only take place at the village level, and were introduced with the implementation of the 1987 Organic Law of Village Committees.
See the video here. Below is an excerpt of the video’s accompanying article:
Direct election of a villagers’ committee originated about twenty years ago. This is seen a wide and effective practice of socialist democracy in the vast Chinese countryside. Voting for their own leaders become a self-conscious act for villagers, and the election become one of the biggest events every three years. Our reporter Xu Zhaoqun went to Jiangmei Village in the north of Fujian Province and witnessed the event.
This is the fifth time Jiangmei villagers voted to choose their leader. The scene was still chaotic as hundreds of villagers were gathering.
Miao Chengtang was one of the earliest voters. He told reporters he had to work in the field after voting. But he then decided to stay longer, discussing who to vote for with his fellow villagers.
