Direct Township Elections in China: latest developments and prospects

The first direct election of township government leader was held in Sichuan Province in 1998, following a decade of direct elections at the village level. There have since been experiments with four categories of elections at the township level: direct elections of government leader, deputies to the People's Congress, Party Secretary, and deputies to the Party Congress. Various indirect methods under different terms have also been introduced, which invariably increase the more active participation of ordinary voters. The assessments of these elections vary from total negation, serious doubts to enthusiastic praise. Suggestions for improvement focus on lowering the qualifications of candidates and allowing campaigning by candidates themselves. Following the latest amendment to the Constitution that extends the term of office of the township government from three years to five, four options for further reform are available. Except for one option, direct elections are proposed or at least possible.