Keeping it in the family has led to allegations of political manipulation during township elections in a Henan county.

The vote in Gushi county, Xinyang, resulted in the election of 12 township and village heads who were either relatives of county officials or of two real estate tycoons in the county.

The government of Xinyang is now investigating the election.

Suspicions about the vote first surfaced in a recent article published on blog.sohu.com by netizen Zhang Hongfeng, who collected tip-offs posted online by local officials who expressed anger over government corruption.

A spokesman from Xinyang's discipline inspection commission told China Daily yesterday that investigators would try to find out whether the election procedure abided by the law and whether those related to government officials were favored over their competitors.

He said investigators are talking with local officials and have set up a complaint hotline for people to call in tips, but he did not say how long the investigation would take.

Zhou Hui, a spokesman for Gushi county, confirmed to People's Daily that most of the newly elected township and village heads are "offspring of local county officials."

But he said no one could deny them their rights to hold government positions if they proved themselves capable.

Deng Yuehai, the newly elected head of Xuji Village, told China Daily he did not think the election had been manipulated by government.

"Both my parents are farmers," said the 40 year old, who used to be the Party secretary of the Bureau of Water Resources in Gushi. "I earned the position through my own hard work."

But he refused to comment about the background of the other 11 winners, including Zhang Bao, who is understood to be the son of the deputy director of Gushi's people's congress and who has not graduated from junior high school.

He said the so-called "public vote" is far from a reflection of public opinion because only government officials participated in the election.

According to Zhou, the vote is based on the recommendation of qualified officials. The 12 township and village leaders are chosen from a field of almost 300 candidates, who are screened and nominated for the role by the county's Party committee.

The elections were held late last year.

Hu Shoujun, a sociologist from Fudan University, said political heredity is a major problem in Asia, but strict regulation and procedures may pave the way for ensuring transparency during elections.

"The key is to establish a reliable procedure for elections that will not be subject to personal preference and influence. Meanwhile, those who have relationships with candidates should avoid from participating in elections, and public scrutiny before any appointment is vital to winning support from the people," he said.

(China Daily August 28, 2009)