Tuesday, June 30, 2009

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It's local election time in our neighborhood. Banners are up entreating residents to "Seriously and studiously carry out the legal regulations regarding elections, and ensure the smooth running of an election according to the law."

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Posted in the bulletin board at the gate to our community is the list of candidates for being elected representatives to the People's Congress, posted by the Congress 筹备组 (preparatory team?).

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Since I'm a sucker for data, this name list is interesting to me.

Sex Year Month Ethnic Party Edu Work
1 F 1950 6 Han CCP MS gov
2 M 1964 7 Han Peasants BA gov
3 M 1958 8 Han CCP AA gov
4 F 1962 1 Han CCP AA gov
5 F 1944 12 Han CCP MS gov
6 F 1971 1 Han CCP AA gov
7 M 1956 11 Han CCP AA gov
8 M 1955 2 Han CCP AA gov
9 M 1952 3 Han CCP MS gov
10 M 1958 6 Han Public AA com
11 M 1952 3 Han CCP MS gov
12 M 1951 4 Han CCP MS com
13 M 1962 2 Han CCP HS com
14 M 1971 4 Mongol Public Masters com
15 F 1949 5 Han CCP HS gov
16 M 1958 10 Han CCP HS gov
17 F 1941 9 Han CCP MS gov

Some trends:

  • A majority of candidates were born in the 50s. The oldest will be 68 this year, the (two) youngest will be 38.
  • Education is inversely correlated with age, and the most common levels of education are completion of middle school and AA degrees (junior college/vocational).
  • Eighty-two percent of the candidates are members of the Chinese Communist Party. The only other party represented is the Peasants and Workers Democratic Party.
  • Three quarters of the candidates already work for the government, mostly on neighborhood committees, with titles like secretary, Party team leader, 留守人员(?), doctor at a health clinic, and Party branch committee member.
  • The private sector candidates come from middle and upper management.
  • The most interesting candidate — in that his background is very different from the rest of the group — is candidate #14. Besides being one of the youngest candidates, born in 1971, he claims Mongolian heritage status, is not a member of any political party, is the only candidate with any higher education (MA), and works as a manager in a consulting company.

It would take a lot of background information to explain these, which I don't have time for right now. The next step is a narrowing down of the list through discussion by the 选民小组, and then the actual election will take place. It's all laid out in the 上海市区县及乡镇人民代表大会代表直接选举实施细则 (Detailed Rules for the Shanghai Municipal District and Township People's Congress Representative Direct Elections), for those interested.

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