4 previous amendments of Election Law

The draft amendment to the Election Law during this year's NPC session, is the fifth amendment to the country's electoral laws since it was enacted in 1953. In 1979, the newly approved Election Law covered all levels of legislative bodies. After that, it was revised four times.

The Election Law was revised for the first time in 1982. The amendments allowed for the reduction of the number of people each urban deputy could represent, limited the promotion process of deputy candidates, and added provisions to the by-election of deputies when their qualification expired.

In 1986, the Election Law saw its second revision. The amendment narrowed the direct-election margin, limited the number of NPC deputies to no more than three thousand, and simplified registration procedures for voters.

1995's amendment revised the Election Law for the third time. It stipulated that rural deputies would represent four times as many people as urban deputies. It also restored stipulations on pre-election, and improved procedures on the removal and resignation of deputies.

In 2004, the Election Law was amended for the fourth time. The amendment provided further space for the promotion of deputy candidates, and listed detailed punishments for actions that jeopardized elections.

 

 

Editor: Zhang Ning | Source: CCTV.com