TV campaigning advised in village elections

BEIJING - A Chinese authority has advised diversified forms of election campaigning for the country's farmers to choose their local leaders, including televised addresses.

The Ministry of Civil Affairs has issued a document on the procedural rules of elections of villagers committees and self-governance bodies at ?grassroots level in the country's rural areas, according to a ministry ?statement on Thursday.

Villagers committee member candidates should meet with villagers to explain their ideas and answer questions, the document said.

An election commission with no less than three people is needed in a village election. The commission can organize campaigning activities in various forms, including publishing candidates' advertisements, arranging meetings between the candidates and villagers, as well as airing candidates' addresses on the village's local television station, it said.

According to the document, elections should be competitive, with the number of candidates larger than that to be elected.

Moreover, there should be at least one seat reserved for a female, it said.

Citizens with a registered residence in a specific village and long-term residents in a village are all eligible to cast a vote in an election, the rules stipulated.

The document also provided detailed voting rules, such as secret ballots and open counting procedures.

An election will be declared null if a candidate uses unfair methods such as violence, intimidation, fraud, bribery or forged votes to win. The elected village heads may also be dismissed via a recalling procedure by the villagers, the document said.