People’s Congresses System

The system of people’s congresses is an organizational form of political power in which, according to the principles that all power of the state belongs to the people and democratic centralism is implemented, and in accordance with legal procedures, voters select deputies to the people's congresses at all levels on the basis of democratic elections, to form local and national people’s congresses, namely the organs of state power, and the latter generates other state organs to exercise state power. During the period of the new democratic revolution, the form of people’s democratic regime established by the Communist Party of China has accumulated valuable historical experience for the establishment of the people’s congress system after the founding of New China. In September 1949, the First Plenary Session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference passed the “Common Program of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference” with a provisional constitutional nature, and established the status of the people’s congress system as the fundamental political system of the People's Republic of China. In September 1954, on the basis of universal suffrage in various regions, the first session of the 1st National People’s Congress was solemnly convened, marking the formal establishment of China’s people’s congress system from the central to the local level; The first “Constitution of the People's Republic of China” passed at the meeting stipulates that China implements the system of people's congress in the form of the fundamental law of the country. The Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh CPC Central Committee held in December 1978 put forward the historic task of institutionalizing and legalizing democracy. The construction of the people’s congress system entered a new period of development, and many important advances were made in practice. The implementation of the people's congress system is the most distinctive feature of China's socialist democratic politics. Different from the “tripartite” political system in Western capitalist countries, it works as the highest organ of state power in the national institution system, exercises state power uniformly, implements democratic centralism, collectively exercises powers, and collectively decides issues; state administrative organs, trials organs and procuratorial organs are formed at, responsible to and supervised by the people’s congress, working with well-defined functions, and in concert. Deng Xiaoping said: “We implement the unicameral system of the National People's Congress, as it is most in line with China's reality”. With correct policy and the direction, this kind of system will bring great benefits, and will help the country prosper and avoid a lot of entanglements. Deputies to the National People’s Congress and local people’s congresses at various levels are either indirectly elected by deputies to the people’s congresses at the lower level or directly elected by voters. Deputies at all levels are responsible to the people and subject to their supervision.

The National People’s Congress is the highest organ of state power, and local people’s congresses at all levels are local organs of state power. The people’s congress system implements the organizational principles and activities of democratic centralism. On the basis of fully promoting democracy, it correctly centralizes the opinions of all parties, coordinates different interests, collectively exercises power, makes scientific decisions, guarantees the realization of the people’s will and interests, and safeguards social fairness and justice. In November 2013, the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh CPC Central Committee clearly put forward the reform goal of “promoting the system of the people’s congress to advance with the times”. The main tasks are: (1) Adhere to the dominant position of the people, promote the theory and practice innovation and give full play to the fundamental political system of the people’s congress system.

(2) Improve the socialist legal system with Chinese characteristics, improve the legislative drafting, demonstration, coordination, and review mechanisms, improve the quality of legislation, and prevent the legalization of local protection and departmental interests.

(3) Improve the system that “people's government, court and procuratorate” is formed by, responsible to, and supervised by the people's congresses.

(4) Improve the system of people’s congresses to discuss and decide major issues, and governments at all levels shall report to the people’s congress at the corresponding level before issuing major decisions.

(5) Strengthen the people's congresses’ functions of budget and final accounts review and supervision, and state-owned assets supervision.

(6) Implement the principle of law-based taxation.

(7) Strengthen the ties between the standing committee of the people’s congress and the deputies to the people’s congress and give full play to the role of deputies.

(8) Intensify the relationship between deputies and the people through the establishment and improvement of deputy liaison institutions and network platforms.

(9) Improve the working mechanism of the people’s congress, expand citizens' orderly participation in legislation through forums, hearings, evaluations, and release of draft laws, and actively respond to social concerns through inquiries, interpellations, investigations on specific issues, and filing reviews. Since its establishment, the people’s congress system has shown strong vitality and great superiority. Practice has proved that the people’s congress system is a fundamental political system and the highest form of realization that conforms to China’s national conditions, reflects the nature of China’s socialist country, and guarantees the position of the people as the masters of the country. It is also the best way for the Party to fully promote democracy in the state power and implement the mass line, as well as an important institutional carrier of Chinese socialist political progress.