How does the Chinese Communist Party govern the country?

Chapter 6

Due to the specific historical environment of the founding of New China and the special procedures produced by the central government, the People's Republic of China did not form a national power system composed of people's congresses at all levels when it was founded.However, the "Common Program" also stipulates that before the local people's congresses are convened by universal suffrage, the local people's congresses from all walks of life shall gradually perform the functions and powers of the people's congresses, become local state power organs, elect people's government committees (governments), and review The work report, budget and final accounts of the people's government can make decisions and be handed over to the people's government committee for implementation.

根据这一规定，各地进行积极探索，出现了极具影响的“松江经验”。上海松江县是1949年5月13日解放的。解放后四个多月，松江县便于1949年9月30日举行各界人民代表会议。会期五天。

There were 286 representatives present.Among them, there are 35 representatives of employees, 138 representatives of farmers, 13 representatives of youth and students, 22 representatives of education circles, 15 representatives of freelancers, 3 representatives of women circles, 30 representatives of business circles, 11 representatives of enlightened gentlemen, There are 19 political and military representatives.The main topics of the meeting were: the issue of expropriation of public grain, the issue of labor disputes in private enterprises, and the issue of rent and interest reduction.The county magistrate and secretary of the county party committee all made reports at the meeting.The format of the meeting is simplified, the report is short, and the purpose is very clear: to leave time for the delegates. 286 representatives are divided into 10 groups.Discuss in groups first, then speak at the conference.During the conference, 165 proposals were received from delegates, and another 14 proposals were received at the end of the conference.

After Mao Zedong read the materials of Songjiang's experience, he fully affirmed it and asked to promote it.

Driven by Songjiang's experience, people's congresses from all walks of life were quickly and widely held across the country. "By the end of 1952, there were more than 1300 million people representing the people's congresses, of whom more than 80% were elected directly or indirectly. More than 2/3 of the cities, more than 1/3 of the counties and most of the townships have the powers of the people's congresses exercised by the people's congresses, and the people's governments at the corresponding levels are elected.On this basis, in November 1952, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China made a decision to convene the National People's Congress and formulate a constitution.

On December 1952, 12, the Standing Committee of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference held the No.24 third meeting.On behalf of the Central Committee, Zhou Enlai proposed that the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference propose to the Central People's Government to convene the National People's Congress and local people's congresses at all levels in 40, and to draft a draft constitution. On January 1953, 1953, the Central People's Government Committee held the No.1 meeting. Mao Zedong pointed out: "In order to promote democracy, it is necessary to hold a national general election for political organizations, especially at the county and township levels." "The day before yesterday I saw a speech by Eisenhower, in which he said: It is impossible for China to hold democratic elections.... In order to promote democracy, to strengthen economic construction, and to strengthen the struggle against imperialism, elections must be held and a constitution must be formulated.” The meeting passed the "Resolution on Convening the National People's Congress and Local People's Congresses at All Levels", and decided to implement general elections in 13, convene local people's congresses at all levels elected by the people, and then convene the National People's Congress on this basis. Congress, and decided to establish the Constitution Drafting Committee chaired by Mao Zedong and the Election Law Drafting Committee chaired by Zhou Enlai.

1953年2月11日，中央人民政府委员会No.20二次会议审议《中华人民共和国全国人民代表大会及地方各级人民代表大会选举法（草案）》，邓小平作说明报告。会议最后通过了《选举法（草案）》并于3月1日公布施行。全国范围的基层选举工作原定从1953年5月开始，计划用三个月时间完成。后因若干省份水、旱灾害严重等因素影响，选举最终于1954年6月结束。

Deng Xiaoping made a summary of the deputies election work on September 1954, 9, on the eve of the First Session of the National People's Congress.He pointed out that during June and July 3, all 1954 provincial cities, 6 counties, autonomous counties and county-level units, and 7 districts of municipalities directly under the central government held meetings of people's congresses.Some prefecture-level and county-level units in ethnic minority areas that temporarily do not conduct grassroots elections have also held people's representative meetings.At this meeting, a total of 150 deputies to the people's congresses of provinces, municipalities directly under the central government, and autonomous regions were elected by secret ballot. From the end of July to mid-August, the provinces, municipalities directly under the central government, and the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region successively held meetings of people's congresses, and elected deputies to the National People's Congress.The Tibet region and Qamdo region adopted the form of representative conferences to elect deputies to the National People's Congress.A total of 2064 deputies to the National People's Congress were elected from 170 provinces, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Tibet, Qamdo and 16680 municipalities directly under the Central Government.The army convened a military congress and elected 7 deputies to the National People's Congress.The Overseas Chinese Affairs Committee elected 8 deputies to the National People's Congress at the enlarged overseas Chinese affairs meeting attended by overseas Chinese representatives.A total of 25 deputies to the National People's Congress were elected from all regions and units.In addition, Taiwan Province should be elected as a deputy to the National People's Congress, because the province is yet to be liberated, and the number of seats is temporarily vacant.Among the deputies to the National People's Congress, there are 14 women deputies, accounting for 1136% of the total number of deputies. In addition to the 60 deputies stipulated in the Election Law, 30 deputies were elected by provinces and municipalities, accounting for 1226% of the total number of deputies.Among the total number of representatives, all nationalities and classes have representatives of equal status.

In the process of electing representatives, there is no honor for those who are elected.Zhang Yuanji is the most influential publisher in modern China. He was the only person who attended the 1949 National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference to meet the "Five No. 88 People in China", namely Emperor Guangxu, Sun Yat-sen, Yuan Shikai, Chiang Kai-shek, and Mao Zedong. He was [-] years old at this time. , suffering from hemiplegia, bedridden.In his letter to the well-known publisher Chen Shutong who was elected at the same time, he said, "It is a great honor to be elected as a national people's representative. He must come to Beijing to attend the meeting, and he will be happy to die in Beijing."

The completion of the election of deputies to the first National People's Congress prepared the organizational conditions for the convening of the National People's Congress and the formulation and adoption of a new constitution.

On September 1954, 9, more than 15 deputies to the National People's Congress gathered at Huairen Hall in Zhongnanhai, Beijing, to attend the first meeting of the first National People's Congress.The report at the time described it like this: The delegates "come from the lathe, from the field, from the mine, and from the guard post on the coast. Put down the pliers, put down the plow handle, put down the pick, put down the pen holder, compass... the same as what they said The leaders of the beloved party and government discuss the country's major issues together."

"Many of them are people who have made outstanding contributions to the cause of the people's revolution. Many of them are representatives of various democratic parties and classes. They are the expressers of the common will of the [-] million people. Here are those who have personally experienced the political turmoil in modern China. There are white-haired old people who have grown up in the new era and have just reached the election age. They come from every province in China, from the green seaside, from the grasslands of Inner Mongolia, and from the Tibetan plateau above [-] meters above sea level , from the oasis under the snow-capped Kunlun Mountains, and from the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau in the southwestern border. They are representatives of the Kazakh, Uyghur, Yi, Miao, Zhuang... ethnic groups."

From the first to the eleventh National People's Congress, Shen Jilan from Shanxi Province was elected to the National People's Congress for eleven consecutive times, witnessing the development of the people's congress system, and is called the oldest "member of parliament" in China by international friends.She said: "In the past, women didn't even manage the important affairs of the country, they didn't even care about the small family affairs.

?? Only socialism can enable us women to be truly liberated and truly equal. "In the past 58 years, she has also raised her hand from the beginning of being a deputy to the National People's Congress to the small problems she saw around her. Later, she gradually cared about the big issues of the national economy and the people's livelihood. If you don't want to be fair, what kind of deputies are you called? "The simplest language often reflects the most profound truth. As Mao Zedong said, "We have the people's congress," and the People's Congress is the "people's congress." It is a matter of course to speak freely and exercise power in the "people's congress" .

On September 1954, 9, the First Session of the First National People's Congress unanimously adopted the Constitution of the People's Republic of China.The Constitution clearly stipulates that the People's Republic of China is a people's democratic country led by the working class and based on the alliance of workers and peasants.All power in the People's Republic of China belongs to the people.The organs through which the people exercise power are the National People's Congress and local people's congresses at various levels.As a result, the People's Congress system was formally established as China's fundamental political system in the form of a fundamental law.The reason why it is called the fundamental political system is that Dong Biwu, one of the founders of the CCP and a veteran of the political and legal circles, said: “Our country has many systems, such as the marriage system, the tax system, the judicial system, the military system, the school system, etc., but these systems They can only represent one aspect of our political life, and only the people’s congress or the people’s congress system can represent the full range of our political life and the source of our political strength.”

(End of this chapter)