Democratic Elections, Democratic Decision-Making, Democratic Management and Democratic Supervision

It is abbreviated as “four democracies”, which is a concentrated summary of the Communist Party of China on the people's democratic rights, an important way for Chinese citizens to participate in political life, and an important content for the development of socialist democratic politics in my country. Since the 1980s, the “four democracies” have gradually developed on the basis of self-management, self-education, and self-service in China’s grassroots rural villagers’ self-government practices.

Article 111 of the “Constitution” revised and promulgated in 1982 clearly stipulates that “Villagers’ committees are the self-government organizations of peasant masses”. In the notice issued by the Ministry of Civil Affairs in 1993 on the implementation of villagers’ autonomy demonstration activities, the “four democracies” of “democratic elections, democratic decision-making, democratic administration, and democratic supervision” were first put forward, and were formally used at the 10th National Civil Affairs Conference in 1994.The report of the 15th CPC National Congress in 1997 pointed out that the Communist Party’s governance is to lead and support the people’s power to administer the state, implement democratic elections, democratic decision-making, democratic administration and democratic supervision, ensure that the people enjoy extensive rights and freedoms in accordance with the law, and respect and protect human rights. Since then, “implementing democratic elections, democratic decision-making, democratic administration, and democratic supervision in accordance with the law” has become a normative concept. “Democratic elections” refers to that the people select deputies to national representative organs at all levels and certain public officials according to their own wishes and in accordance with legal forms. There are two election methods, direct election and indirect election, which are a way for the people to exercise and realize their basic political rights. “Democratic decision-making” refers to ensuring a wide range of people’s participation in decision-making rules and procedures, listening to opinions and centralizing people’s wisdom, so that decision-making is based on democracy and science. “Democratic administration” refers to that the people participate in the administration of state affairs and enterprises and public institutions as political subjects, exercise various rights granted by the Constitution, and assume the responsibilities and obligations of citizens granted by the Constitution. In the autonomy of the grassroots society, administration is the direct behavior of the people and the entity of people’s democracy. “Democratic supervision” refers to the people's supervision of national representative organs and public officials at all levels in accordance with the power granted by the Constitution, to correct various illegal behaviors. It is divided into inner-Party supervision by the ruling Party, inter-Party supervision by other democratic parties, and supervision by people's representatives, the supervision by public opinion and the supervision by individuals, etc. “Democratic election, democratic decision-making, democratic administration, and democratic supervision” is a logically rigorous system.

The four are not only physical guarantees for the realization of democracy, but also interlocking procedural guarantees. Among them, “democratic elections” are the prerequisite and basis for the realization of democracy; “democratic decision-making, democratic administration, and democratic supervision” can not only guarantee the results of “democratic elections”, but also solve a series of problems caused by incomplete “democratic elections”. Adhering to that all power of the state belongs to the people, not only ensures that the people implement democratic elections in accordance with the law, but also ensures that the people implement democratic decision-making, democratic administration, and democratic supervision in accordance with the law, effectively preventing the phenomenon of making empty promises during elections. “Democratic elections” is a concrete manifestation of adhering to that all power of the state belongs to the people, but after the election, we shall ensure that the people implement democratic decision-making, democratic administration, and democratic supervision in accordance with the law, as this is the relatively complete democratic politics and will not make democratic elections mere formality. To develop people’s democracy, we must adhere to the organic unity of the Party’s leadership, the position of the people as the masters of the country, and the law-based governance, and guarantee the people's rights to democratic elections, democratic decision-making, democratic administration, and democratic supervision through laws. It reflects the CPC’s profound grasp of people’s democracy, embodies Chinese characteristics, and expands the practical space of people’s democracy.