CIAO DATE: 11/2009
March 1998
At the invitation of the government of the People’s Republic of China, The Carter Center sent a delegation to observe village elections in China from March 2-15, 1998. In addition to evaluating nine village elections in Jilin and Liaoning provinces, the nine-person team, led by Carter Center Fellow Dr. Robert Pastor, reached a long-term agreement with the Ministry of Civil Affairs (MCA) on election-related projects. The delegation found that the elections provided the voters a reasonably free choice, but there were some procedural problems in several of the villages. The Ministry, provincial, and county civil affairs officials understand clearly the significance of a secret, individual ballot, but some villagers did not. There were several other electoral problems related to proxy voting and “roving ballot boxes” described in this report, together with recommendations on ways to improve the process. With a fourth round of village elections underway in China, it appears that there has been progress, but still there is a distance to travel before the elections could be considered technically competent and in conformity with the Organic Law on Village Elections. Most impressive for the delegation was the openness and candor of Ministry, provincial, and county officials in acknowledging problems and seeking advice on ways to resolve them. The long-term agreement on cooperation between the Ministry of Civil Affairs and The Carter Center, dated March 14, 1998, is centered around a plan to establish a national election data collection system, which will permit the Ministry to learn election results and assess the electoral process in villages throughout the country in a rapid and transparent manner. The Carter Center will seek funds to help install the software in three pilot provinces and the Ministry and eventually to connect all the provinces. In addition, the project includes exchanges and visits for training on election management and data collection. Carter Center teams will also help formulate uniform election procedures and work with MCA to develop civic education programs in China. The Carter Center will send observation and advisory missions to China and organize groups of Chinese officials to observe local, state, and national elections in the United States.
Resource link: Carter Center Delegation Report: Village Elections in China and Agreement on Cooperation with the Ministry of Civil Affairs, People's Republic of China 2 Mar 1998 [PDF] - 153K