Regulations of the CPC on Election of Grass roots Organizations

(Deliberated and approved at the meeting of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee on June 29, 2020; issued by the Communist Party of China Central Committee on July 13, 2020)

Chapter I  General Provisions

Article 1 For the purpose of thoroughly implementing Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, carrying out the general requirements for Party building in the new era and the Party's organizational line in the new era, upholding and strengthening the Party's overall leadership, adhering to the principle that the Party manages the Party and exercises comprehensive and strict governance over the Party, improving the Party's democratic centralism, perfecting the intra-Party election system, enhancing the political function of primary-level Party organizations, and raising the organizational capacity of primary-level Party organizations, these Regulations are formulated in accordance with the Constitution of the Communist Party of China and relevant intra-Party regulations.

Article 2  These Regulations shall apply to the election work of Party committees, general branch committees, and branch committees (including Party branches without a committee) established in enterprises, rural areas, government agencies, schools, research institutes, subdistrict communities, social organizations, and other grassroots units, as well as the election work of primary-level disciplinary inspection commissions of the Party.

Article 3  Committees established by primary-level Party organizations shall conduct regular re-election when their terms of office expire.

If it is necessary to postpone or advance the re-election, it shall be reported to the higher-level Party organization for approval. The period of extension or advancement shall generally not exceed one year.

Article 4  Committees established by primary-level Party organizations are generally elected by Party members' congresses. If the number of Party members exceeds 500 or the resident locations of the affiliated Party organizations are scattered, a Party members' representative congress may be held for election upon approval by the higher-level Party organization.

Article 5 Full Party members have the right to vote, the right to elect, and the right to be elected. Party members under disciplinary probation do not have the right to vote, the right to elect, or the right to be elected during the probation period; probationary Party members do not have the right to vote, the right to elect, or the right to be elected. If a Party member is placed under residential surveillance or arrested in accordance with the law, the Party organization shall, in accordance with its administrative authority, suspend such Party member's rights as the right to vote, the right to elect, and the right to be elected.

Article 6  Elections shall fully promote democracy, respect and safeguard the democratic rights of Party members, and reflect the will of the electors. No organization or individual shall, in any way, compel electors to elect or not to elect a particular person.

Chapter II  Election of Representatives

Article 7  Representatives to the Congress of Party Members shall consciously strengthen the "Four Consciousnesses", firmly uphold the "Four Confidences", earnestly fulfill the "Two Maintenances", abide by the Party Constitution, Party rules, Party discipline as well as laws and regulations, have the ability to perform their duties, be able to reflect the opinions of their electoral units, and represent the will of Party members.

Article 8  The number of representatives shall generally be 100 to 200, with a maximum of no more than 300. The specific number shall be determined by the Party organization convening the Congress of Party Members in accordance with the principles of facilitating Party members' understanding and direct participation in intra-Party affairs and facilitating the discussion and decision-making on issues, and shall be reported to the higher-level Party organization for approval.

The allocation of the number of representatives shall be determined in accordance with the principles of the number of affiliated Party organizations, the number of Party members, and the representativeness of the representatives. The structure of representatives shall be optimized to ensure the proportion of representatives from the frontlines of production and work.

When a large state-owned enterprise or institution of higher education holds a Congress of Party Members, if the Party organizations of its secondary enterprises or directly affiliated units are subordinate to Party organizations of other localities or units and have a relatively large number of Party members, a certain number of representative quotas may be appropriately allocated to them.

Article 9  The difference in the number of candidate representatives shall not be less than 20% of the number of representatives to be elected.

Article 10  The main procedures for the election of representatives are as follows:

(1) Recommendation and nomination start from the Party branch. Based on the opinions of the majority of Party organizations and Party members, recommended candidates for representatives shall be put forward.

(2) The electoral unit shall communicate with the higher-level Party organization regarding the recommended candidates for representatives and put forward preliminary candidates for representatives. Appropriate methods shall be adopted to strengthen review and verification, and the preliminary candidates for representatives may be publicized within a certain scope.

(3) The electoral unit shall study and determine the preliminary candidates for representatives, and report them to the primary-level Party committee convening the Party members' representative congress for review.

(4) The electoral unit shall convene a Party members' congress or a Party members' representative congress, determine the candidates in accordance with the opinions of the majority of the electors, and conduct the election.

Article 11  The previous Party committee shall establish a credentials committee for representatives, which shall be responsible for examining the election procedures and qualifications of the representatives.

If the election of representatives does not conform to the prescribed procedures, the original electoral unit shall be instructed to re-conduct the election; if a representative is not qualified, the original electoral unit shall be instructed to replace them.

The credentials committee for representatives shall report on the results of the examination to the preparatory meeting of the Party members' representative congress. Representatives who pass the examination shall obtain formal qualifications.

Chapter III  The Formation of the Committee

Article 12  Candidates for members of the committees established by primary-level Party organizations shall be nominated in accordance with the principles of having both ability and political integrity, putting political integrity first, and ensuring a reasonable structure of the leading body.

For primary-level Party organizations in different fields, of different types and at different levels, the qualifications for their committee member candidates may be further specified in light of actual conditions in accordance with the spirit of the Central Party Committee and the requirements of higher-level Party organizations.

Article 13  The number of candidates for committee members shall exceed the number of members to be elected by no less than 20%.

Article 14 The candidates for members of the general branch committees and branch committees of the Party shall be proposed by the previous committees based on the opinions of the majority of Party members. After being reported to the higher-level Party organizations for examination and approval, the Party members shall be organized to deliberate and determine the candidates, who shall then be elected at the Party members' congresses.

Article 15 The selection of members for the Party's grassroots committees and approved disciplinary inspection committees, as well as the convening of a Party member congress, shall be proposed by the previous Party committee based on the opinions of the majority of Party organizations under its jurisdiction. After being reviewed and approved by the higher-level Party organization, Party members shall be organized to prepare and determine candidates, which shall be submitted to the Party member congress for election; For the convening of a Party member congress, the previous Party committee shall propose candidates based on the opinions of the majority of Party organizations under its jurisdiction, submit them to the higher-level Party organization for review and approval, and submit them to the presidium of the congress for discussion and approval. The presidium of the congress shall then submit them to each delegation (group) for deliberation and discussion, determine candidates based on the opinions of the majority of representatives, and submit them to the Party member congress for election.

Article 16  The selection of secretaries and deputy secretaries of committees established by grassroots organizations of the Party shall be proposed by the previous committee, reviewed and approved by the higher-level Party organization, and then elected at the plenary session of the committee.

The selection of party branch secretaries and deputy secretaries without committees shall be fully deliberated by all party members, candidates shall be proposed, and the election shall be conducted after being reviewed and approved by the higher-level party organization.

Article 17 The committee that has been approved to establish a standing committee shall have its members nominated by the previous committee based on a difference of 1 to 2 more than the number of candidates to be elected. After being reviewed and approved by the higher-level party organization, the election shall be held at the committee's plenary session.

Article 18  If a committee member becomes vacant during their term of office, a party member congress or party member representative congress should generally be convened to hold a by election.

When the higher-level party organization deems it necessary, it may transfer or appoint the person in charge of the lower level party organization.

Chapter IV  The Conduct of Elections

Article 19 When an election is held, the meeting shall be valid only if the number of attendees with the right to vote is not less than four-fifths of the total number of people entitled to attend.

Article 20  The election held at a Party members' congress shall be presided over by the previous committee. For elections in Party branches that do not have a committee, they shall be presided over by the secretary of the previous Party branch.

Elections held at a Party members' representative congress shall be presided over by the congress presidium. Members of the congress presidium shall be nominated by the previous Party committee or various delegations (groups) from among the representatives. After deliberation and discussion by all representatives, the list shall be submitted to the preparatory meeting of the Party members' representative congress for voting and approval.

At the first plenary session of the committee, members, secretaries, and deputy secretaries of the Standing Committee are elected. If a Party member congress is convened, one newly elected member designated by the presidium of the congress shall preside over it; The party member congress shall be presided over by one newly elected member recommended by the previous committee.

Article 21  At the first plenary session of the committee, members, secretaries, and deputy secretaries of the Standing Committee are elected. If a Party member congress is convened, one newly elected member designated by the presidium of the congress shall preside over it; The party member congress shall be presided over by one newly elected member recommended by the previous committee.

Article 22  Election supervisors are responsible for supervising the entire election process.

The scrutineers for the election of the Party member congress or Party member representative congress shall be selected by all Party members or each delegation (group) from among Party members or representatives who are not candidates, and shall be approved by the vote of the Party member congress, Party member representative congress or the presidium meeting of the congress.

The scrutineers for the committee election shall be elected from among the committee members who are not candidates for secretary, deputy secretary, or member of the standing committee, and shall be approved by a vote of all committee members.

Article 23  Vote counters shall be appointed for the election. The vote counters shall work under the supervision of the scrutineers.

Article 24  Elections shall be conducted by secret ballot. The lists of candidates for representatives, committee members, and standing committee members on the ballots shall be arranged in the order of the number of strokes in their surnames, while the lists of candidates for secretary and deputy secretaries shall be arranged in the order approved by the higher-level Party organization.

An elector who is unable to fill in the ballot may entrust a non-candidate to write on their behalf in accordance with their will. Party members or representatives who are unable to attend the meeting due to reasons may not entrust others to vote on their behalf.

Article 25  Electors may vote for or against a candidate, or abstain from voting. Those who vote against a candidate may vote for another person instead.

Article 26  After the voting is completed, the scrutineers and vote counters shall check the number of voters, the number of ballots issued, and the number of ballots recovered, make a record of this, sign it (the record) as scrutineers, and report the number of votes each candidate has received.

Article 27  If the number of ballots recovered in an election is equal to or less than the number of voters, the election is valid; if it is more than the number of voters, the election is invalid and a new election shall be held.

A ballot is valid if the number of persons voted for on it is equal to or less than the number of persons to be elected as prescribed; it is invalid if the number of persons voted for exceeds the number of persons to be elected as prescribed.

Article 28  In the case of a competitive preliminary election, only those who receive more than half of the votes from the eligible voters present at the meeting may be listed as official candidates.

Article 29  In an official election, a candidate shall be elected only if they receive more than half of the votes from the eligible voters who should attend the meeting.

When the number of elected persons who receive more than half of the votes exceeds the number of positions to be filled, the candidates shall be elected in the order of the number of votes they received until the number of positions to be filled is reached. If the votes are tied and it is impossible to determine the elected person, a re-vote shall be held for those candidates with the tied votes, and the one who receives more votes shall be elected.

When the number of candidates who receive more than half of the votes is less than the number of positions to be filled, a separate election shall be held for the remaining positions. If the number is close to the number of positions to be filled, the number of positions may be reduced and no further election shall be held, subject to the consent of more than half of the electors or a decision by the congress presidium.

Article 30  The voting results for the candidates, including votes in favor, votes against, abstentions, and votes for other candidates, shall be reported by the scrutineers to the previous committee or the congress presidium during the preliminary election, and to the electors during the official election.

Article 31  The list of elected persons shall be announced to the electors by the presiding officer of the meeting.

The list of elected delegates to the Party members' congress and members of the committee shall be arranged in the order of the number of strokes in their surnames.

The list of elected members of the standing committee, secretary, and deputy secretaries shall be arranged in the order approved by the higher-level Party organization.

Chapter V Submission for approval

Article 32  A request for convening a Party members' congress or a Party members' representative congress shall, in accordance with the affiliation of the Party organization, be submitted to the higher-level Party organization with the authority to approve it for examination and approval. For a Party members' congress, the request shall generally be submitted for approval one month in advance; for a Party members' representative congress, the request shall generally be submitted for approval four months in advance.

Article 33  The proposed candidates for members, standing committee members, secretary, and deputy secretaries of the new Party committee and discipline inspection commission shall, generally one month before the convening of the Party members' congress or Party members' representative congress, be submitted to the higher-level Party organization with the authority to approve for examination and approval.

Article 34  The elected committee members shall be reported to the higher-level Party organization for the record; the standing committee members, secretary, and deputy secretaries shall be reported to the higher-level Party organization for approval.

The standing committee members, secretary, and deputy secretaries elected by the discipline inspection commission shall, after being adopted by the Party committee at the same level, be reported to the higher-level Party organization for approval.

Chapter VI Discipline and Supervision

Article 35 Strengthen the leadership over the election work of primary-level Party organizations, adhere to prioritizing education, warning, and prevention, strictly enforce the requirements of political discipline, organizational discipline, and discipline for the work of term transitions, strengthen awareness of systems, strictly implement systems, safeguard the authority of systems, guide Party members and representatives to correctly exercise their democratic rights, and ensure that the election work proceeds smoothly and in an orderly manner.

Fulfill the responsibility of comprehensively and strictly governing the Party. It is strictly prohibited to engage in non-organizational behaviors such as forming cliques, canvassing for votes or bribing voters, and leaking information. Strict precautions shall be taken against interference and sabotage of elections by underworld forces, clan forces, and religious forces. Supervision, inspection, and accountability shall be strengthened to ensure that the election work is conducted in a clean and upright manner.

Article 36  This Regulation shall be supervised and implemented by the higher-level Party committees and their organizational departments as well as the higher-level Party discipline inspection commissions, and the implementation thereof shall be included in the content of inspection and patrol supervision work.

Article 37 In elections, any act that violates the provisions of the Party Constitution and these Regulations must be seriously investigated and dealt with. Depending on the nature of the problem and the severity of the circumstances, the relevant Party members shall be given criticism and education up to disciplinary sanctions, and the Party organizations and leading Party cadres who are derelict in their duties shall be held accountable.

Chapter VII  Supplementary Provisions

Article 38  Electing units shall formulate election measures in accordance with these Regulations, which shall be implemented after being discussed and adopted by the Party members' congress or the Party members' representative congress.

Article 39  The election of primary-level Party organizations in the Chinese People's Liberation Army and the Chinese People's Armed Police Force shall be stipulated by the Central Military Commission in accordance with the spirit of these Regulations.

Article 40  These Regulations shall be interpreted by the Central Organization Department.

Article 41  These Regulations shall come into force on the date of their issuance. The "Interim Regulations on the Election Work of Primary-Level Organizations of the Communist Party of China" issued by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on June 27, 1990 shall be abolished simultaneously.