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Chinese village gets rare taste of democracy
Agence France Presse - March 3, 2012
The vote for the committee governing Wukan went ahead with official approval after a long campaign by local people to end what they say was years of corrupt rule by Communist Party officials.
Although village elections are common in China's rural areas, candidates are typically put forward by authorities and often run unopposed, unlike the poll in Wukan, in which 21 contenders stood for seven committee slots.
The vote came months after residents of Wukan, in Guangdong province, rose up against authorities in a bold revolt, driving out the local officials they said had been stealing their land for years.
After a tense stand-off with police in December that lasted over a week, authorities in Guangdong, which borders China's semi-autonomous region of Hong Kong, granted villagers rare concessions, including pledges to hold free polls.
A carnival atmosphere prevailed in Wukan on Saturday with mothers carrying their babies and elderly women tottering to the ballot box to cast their votes.
Villagers formed long lines outside makeshift voting booths in the playground of a local school to write up to seven names on a paper slip before placing it in a metal box.
"They've given us a democratic election, I'm so happy," villager Zhang Bingchang said as he waited to vote.
Results were expected later Saturday after voting ended.
Villagers in China are by law allowed to vote for a committee to represent them, but many complain of fraud and lack of competition in polls that are often manipulated.
Wukan's leaders had held power for decades without being challenged, and residents say they never allowed village polls to go ahead openly, instead selecting members behind closed doors.
"It's my first time voting and I don't understand the whole process of elections. But I hope they (those elected) will make efforts to sort out the land issue and corruption," said voter Huang Delian.
To illustrate the open nature of the polls, organisers showed an empty ballot box to residents before voting began to allay any rigging concerns and pledged "fairness and transparency" through loudhailers.
China has experienced breakneck growth since first opening its economy in the late 1970s and the government has struggled to balance its autocratic rule with the aspirations of its increasingly wealthy people.
Last year's uprisings in the Arab world were followed by a crackdown in China that saw calls for democratic change snuffed out and dissidents detained.
Wukan's unexpectedly successful revolt was triggered when community leader Xue Jinbo died in police custody following months of tensions over land grab grievances.
Nonetheless the election took place under the watchful eye of local authorities. Police officers stood outside the school where the polls were taking place with several police vehicles parked nearby.
Xue Jianwan, one of the candidates and the daughter of Xue Jinbo, told reporters: "My work unit said that if I ran for election, I would have to resign" from her teaching job.
Even though the election has not received widespread coverage from China's state media it has created a stir, with petitioners from other parts of the country travelling to Wukan to try to take advantage of the buzz to highlight their own grievances.
Twitter-like microblogs, less subject to government control than traditional outlets, are following the proceedings. "Wukan village has written the first page for China's 'post-modern' history... Let's welcome this historic progress," one netizen wrote.
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