• Yes, Wukan: Democracy Chinese style

Feb.1 was the Election Day for Wukan Village in Lufeng, Guangdong. Among the 7,800 villagers 18 years old or above who are eligible to vote, 7688 cast their ballots. The election produced the 11-member Wukan Village Election Committee.

There were two proposed systems for the election of Wukan Village Election Committee: electing committee members through villager representative meetings or through a direct vote by villagers aged 18 or older. Faced with this choice, Wukan villagers opted for the second path, proving that farmers could indeed handle local democratic participation.

Last year, Wukan villagers launched months of large-scale protests against local authorities over issues related to land use, financing and political representation. Following these social conflicts, this month's election represented an innovation in local governance. [Full story]

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