China's lawmaker election system fits in reality

Updated: 2012-03-04 14:20

(Xinhua)

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BEIJING - The current election system of deputies to the National People's Congress (NPC) fits in China's reality, said a spokesman in Beijing Sunday.

Deputies to people's congresses at the county and township levels are directly elected by residents, and deputies to people's congresses at the provincial and municipal levels are elected by legislative bodies at the lower level, said Li Zhaoxing, spokesman for the Fifth Session of the 11th National People's Congress (NPC), at a press conference.

China has a vast geographic scale and huge population as economic and social development varies in different regions, which makes it difficult to directly elect lawmakers at all levels, he said.

The election of new deputies to people's congresses at the county and township levels have been carried out since last year.

It is the first time that deputies from urban and rural areas are elected at the same population ratio.

About 2,000 deputies to the next NPC will be elected under the principle of equality of persons, with every 670,000 voters given a seat of representation in the NPC.