第十三篇 民主化進程

中國這個有著9億農民的世界上人口最多的國家，民主化進程正在發(fā)生著新的深刻變化—在大約100萬的村落中，群眾公開地推選出自己擁護的領頭人，這就是10年來在中國廣大農村推行的村民委員會選舉。民主意識的春風細雨，滋潤著遼闊的中國大地。

The process of democratization has made much headway in China, the world’s most populous country with 900 million farmers. In some one million rural villages, residents have elected their favorite leaders to make up the villagers’ committee. This election breeze, which originated a decade ago and has thus swept across the country’s vast rural areas, has helped foster and enhance the consciousness of democracy of the vast number of Chinese farmers.

村委會選舉的實踐表明，凡是經過廣大農民群眾依法直接選舉產生的村委會干部，絕大多數為人正直，工作能力強，工作作風比較好，懂經濟，會管理，是帶領村民致富奔小康，建設富裕、民主、文明的社會主義新農村的帶頭人。最新一輪換屆選舉資料顯示，新當選的村委會成員教育程度不斷提高，年齡結構日趨合理。初中文化程度占70%以上，有些還是大專、大學學歷。在全國，30歲左右的年輕人進入村委會的大到60%。農村基層干部隊伍的整體素質明顯提高。

The practice of village committee elections shows that the majority of committee cadres directly elected by the farmers in accordance with the law are upright and capable, have a good style of administration, and know economics and management. They are leaders who can help their fellow villagers get on the road leading to a comfortable life, reach a moderate level of prosperity and build new socialist village which are prosperous, democratic and cultured. Studies of the latest round of election indicate that the newly elected members of villagers’ committees are better educated and younger in age: about 70% have received junior middle school education while a few have received a junior college of university education. Young people around the age of 30 make up 60% of the membership of the newly elected villagers’ committees. The overall quality of the contingent of rural grassroots cadres has improved significantly.

民主意識的生長正是從最基層的村級選舉，從農民生活中，從身邊熟悉的人開始的。在村委會的選舉中，村民們通過選民登記、候選人提名、預選、參加投票這一項項活動，得到了實實在在的民主訓練，開始培育起民主意識和法制觀念。

A sense of democracy has indeed grown from the most elementary village-level election, and from the election of the people familiar to the farmer voters. In the course of election, the farmers have received actual democratic training from the process of registrating as voters, nominating candidates, pre-electing and casting votes. This process has also fostered their sense of democracy and law.

中國政府認為，擴大基層民主，保證人民群眾直接行使民主權力，依法管理自己多時期，創(chuàng)造自己的幸福生活，是社會主義民主最廣泛的實踐；并要求城鄉(xiāng)基層政權機關和基層群眾性自治組織都要健全民主選舉制度，實行政務公開和財務公開，讓群眾參與討論和決定基層公共事務和公益事業(yè)，對干部實行明主監(jiān)督。

The Chinese government holds that it is the most extensive practice of socialist democracy to expand grassroots democracy, ensure the people their right in direct democratic election, and allow the citizens to manage their own affairs in accordance with the law and build a happy life. The government requires all urban and rural grass-roots organs of political power and grass-roots public self-governing organizations to perfect the democratic electoral system, separate administrative management from financial management, and let the general public participate in the discussion of and make decisions about grass-roots public and welfare concerns, as well as exercise democratic supervision over cadres.

進一步搞好村委會選舉，是中國億萬農民的共同心愿，也是中國推進政治體制改革和民主政治建設的需要。隨著中國經濟的持續(xù)發(fā)展和社會全面進步，中國的民主建設將更加廣泛，中國的民主化進程也將進一步加快。

The improvement on the process and procedure in the election of villagers’ committee will not only reflect the common aspiration of China’s hundreds of millions of farmers, but also meet China’s need to facilitate her national drive for political restructuring and democratization. In the process of the country’s sustained economic development and overall social progress, China’s construction of democracy will be more extensive and meanwhile, its democratization process will speed up.