Expand Citizens’ Orderly Participation in Political Affairs

An important task of upholding and improving the socialist democratic system put forward at the 16th CPC National Congress in 2002. It refers to the various orderly political activities carried out by Chinese citizens to promote the development of the country and society, improve the government’s ability and performance in administering public affairs, and safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of citizens. It is a political participation behavior with leadership, organization, order, autonomy and rationality. “Orderly” also includes institutionalization, standardization, and regulation. Political participation is a legitimate right enjoyed by our citizens and an important part of socialist democratic politics.The main contents of the political life of Chinese citizens include: exercising political rights and fulfilling political obligations; implementing democratic elections, democratic decision-making, democratic administration, and democratic supervision in accordance with the law, participating in the management of public life, participating in socialist modernization, especially promoting socialist political progress; participating in international political life, caring about China's status and role in the international society, and maintaining world peace, etc.

The orderly political participation of citizens is of great significance for advancing the democratization process of China, maintaining political stability, and safeguarding the fundamental interests of the overwhelming majority of the people. Under the socialist system, people are the masters of the country, and all the power of the state belongs to the people. In 2002, the report of the 16th CPC National Congress proposed to “improve the democratic system, enrich democratic forms, expand citizens orderly political participation, and ensure that the people implement democratic elections, democratic decision-making, democratic administration, and democratic supervision in accordance with the law, and enjoy extensive rights and freedoms, respect and protect human rights”. In 2007, the report of the 17th CPC National Congress further proposed to “adhere to that all the power of the state belongs to the people, expand the orderly political participation of citizens at all levels and in all fields, and mobilize and organize the people as extensively as possible to administer state and social affairs as well as economic and cultural undertakings in accordance with the law”, and “the orderly expansion of citizen political participation” was identified as one of the new requirements to achieve the goal of building a well-off society in an all-round way. In 2012, the report of the 18th CPC National Congress pointed out that in order to build a moderately prosperous society in an all-round way, in terms of the political system reform, it is necessary to “accelerate the institutionalization, standardization and proceduralization of socialist democratic politics, expand the orderly political participation of citizens at all levels and in all fields, and realize the rule of law in various national work”. “The orderly expansion of citizen political participation” focuses both on “expansion” and “orderly”.

“Expansion” means to continuously explore new forms of political participation and ways of political participation on the basis of improving the existing methods of citizen political participation. “Orderly” means “in accordance with the law”. Citizens must participate in the country’s political life within the scope permitted by the Constitution and laws. Citizens’ political appeals and expressions must be put forward through normal channels. Historical experience has shown that disorderly political participation will make society pay higher development costs, and will have a negative impact on social stability and harmony. Therefore, expanding the orderly political participation of citizens must meet the requirements of economic development, social progress, and the increasing enthusiasm of the people for political participation. Through institutional innovation, we shall improve the democratic system, cultivate citizens' awareness of orderly political participation, and broaden democratic channels, expand the orderly political participation of citizens at all levels and in all fields, protect the people’s right to know, participate, express, and supervise, continue to expand and protect the democratic rights of the people, and continue to enhance the vitality of the Party and the state.