PP5198: Term Essay Presentation:

Comparing village-level democracy in China &

India

Vybhav Dhar, MPA, LKYSPP, NUS

Political System: China Vs India
Article 1 of the constitution defines the
“People's Republic of China (PRC) is a
socialist state under the people's democratic
dictatorship led by the working class and
based on the alliance of workers and
peasants. “(PRC Constitution)

Article 1 of Constitution of India defines

“India i.e. Bharat is a union of states”,
whereas the preamble to constitution
defines it as “SOVEREIGN SOCIALIST
SECULAR DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC”
 China: Legal Provisions to village
elections
 Constitutional Basis in the Article 111 [Committees on Grass Roots Level]

 The ‘The Electoral Law of the PRC for the National People’s Congress [NPC]
and Local People’s Congresses at All Levels, 1979’ outlines the procedural
details of all forms of ‘elections’.

 The ‘Organic Law of the Villagers Committees of PRC’ 1998 provides specifics
for ‘ensuring self-governance by the villagers in the countryside’.
 India: Legal Provisions to village

elections
Part-IX ‘The Panchayats’ (articles 243 through 243 O) (Inserted via 73rd
Constitutional Amendment Act 1992)

 direct elections from respective territorial constituencies under supervision of

State Election Commission in each state.

 1/3 rd of the total seats reserved for women, reservation for weaker castes
and tribes (SCs and STs).

 An indicative list of 29 items has been given in Eleventh Schedule of the

Constitution.
 China Village Elections: Analysis
 Economically autonomous function since historical times.
 The elections, have a frequency of 3 years, are supervised, usually by County
level officials.
 Democratic traditions stronger in Southern China, where, a few villages began
implementing "Vote for your Chief" policies, in which free elections are
intended to be held for the election of a village chief. (Wukan Protests Sep-Dec
2011)
 Choice of electoral rules in Chinese villages results from the incentives that
rural party elites face in their efforts to control electoral results, viz. a large
proportion of revenue from village-owned enterprises (VOEs), a large size of
electorate, the presence of strong social groups, and frequent upper level
government interventions. (Tzeng & Wang 2017, Asian Affairs: An American
Review)
 Many have criticized the locally elected representatives as serving as "rubber
stamps", though during some eras the Communists have flirted with the idea
of potentially allowing some competition.
 India Village Elections: Analysis
 3 million elected representatives at all levels of the Panchayat, nearly 1.3 million
women, covering about 96% of India's more than 580,000 villages and nearly
99.6% of the rural population.

 The reservation policy for women led to a substantial increase in female

participation and inclusion of domestic household issues.

 Reliance on federal and state grants to sustain themselves economically.

 The absence of mandatory elections, infrequent meetings, leading to more state

regulation. Use of money and muscle power to influence elections.

 Low literacy in many villages .

 Thank you
Questions & Comments
are welcome!