Topic: 2025-Preserving Free and Fair Elections
Country: People’s Republic of China
Delegate Name: KenZie Low
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
Preserving Free and Fair Elections
People’s Republic of China
KenZie Low
City High Middle
The United Nations established in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that the will of the people should be the basis of government authority. The power of the people would be preserved through periodic and genuine elections where every voter receives equal suffrage. Many countries have made strides to create a free environment where people can select their leaders. Yet, crimes in elections remain a pressing issue for the global community. In 2023, fifty-two countries have seen a decrease in voter and election freedom and fairness while only twenty-one have seen an improvement, marking the eighteen consecutive year of declining global freedom. Unfair and unfree elections can take many forms. In countries like Zimbabwe, journalists and citizens asking for change in their government were harassed, attacked, and detained. A more common crime in elections is election fraud. Nations such as Venezuela have controlled the ballots or deprived citizens of voting resources. Venezuela has also called off the primary, further manipulating elections. Officials with an immense amount of power have also been a concern as authoritarian leaders are commonly perpetrators of election manipulation. Violence in conflict zones has also denied people the right to vote. The delegation of China is aware of the pressing issues of freedom, election manipulation, and corruption on an international scale. China is one of the oldest civilizations and has reformed its government numerous times to create the least corrupt and fair government and election system.
The People’s Republic of China has spent almost a century creating a socialist democratic system. Until one hundred years ago, China had suffered from an immense lack of freedom for many peasants. Emperors ruled the country and created an unfair monarchy that almost led the country to total poverty and destruction. After the revolution led by Mao Zedong in 1949, the government advanced away from the violent dynasty cycle into a modern authoritarian democracy that would adhere to the people’s needs. China has implemented standard elections within the National People’s Congress. Officials in the government appoint and nominate others to run for higher positions. When these officials are nominated, members of the Chinese Communist Party vote for these officials to run for office. China has cultivated this system so that there is a voice from many officials on who leads the country while ensuring that votes come from government officials who are educated on national policies. While the leadership of China remains in the Chinese Communist Party, China has implemented a way for citizens to become involved in legislative matters. China implemented grassroots democracy in 1987 which involved allowing villagers to directly elect their own representatives on a local scale. These local councils could decide and implement policies for their region. In 1998, the Chinese government formally recognized democratic procedures such as open nominations, multiple candidate options, and the use of secret ballots. China has been practicing consensus elections as well, educating villagers on candidate policies. This mitigates violence among voters and promotes electoral participation rather than competition. Additionally, the National People’s Congress is composed of deputies who are directly elected by the people. Deputies are selected directly from the Chinese people in an electoral district. Any citizen of China who is at least eighteen has the right to vote for deputies. Deputies serve on the National People’s Congress to enact and regulate the Chinese constitution, elect officials, and enact and amend basic laws. To ensure that China creates the fairest form of elections and government, current President Xi Jinping enacted the largest and one of the most effective anti-corruption campaigns in the world. It charged about four million officials with corruption from 2013 to 2021. Since then, China has seen a decrease in corrupt leaders in the government.
China supports true democracy that promotes a fair and productive government. China suggests other countries look toward one-party elections or multi-party elections. This mitigates fierce and ingenuine competition that occurs in a two-party system or in the dynasty cycle that China experienced. China also argues that corruption in elections is a large inhibitor of fair and free elections. Large-scale anti-corruption campaigns need to occur so officials in governments will not commit crimes pertaining to elections. China has enjoyed the success of its government through parliamentary elections. Keeping elections within government officials decreases the chance of violence and conflict within the general population. China encourages other countries to implement this same sort of regulated democracy. Finally, China suggests that maintaining a regulated government system but implementing grassroots democracy can offer citizens a voice in government and also allow for a credible system of government where these officials can be promoted within a structured government body.
Works Cited
China State Council Information Office. “Full Text: China: Democracy That Works_Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the United States of America.” Us.china-Embassy.gov.cn, 4 Dec. 2021, us.china-embassy.gov.cn/eng/zgyw/202112/t20211204_10462468.htm.
“China’s Electoral System.” English.www.gov.cn, www.gov.cn, 25 Aug. 2014, english.www.gov.cn/archive/china_abc/2014/08/23/content_281474982987216.htm.
Freedom House. “The Mounting Damage of Flawed Elections and Armed Conflict.” Freedom House, 2024, freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/2024/mounting-damage-flawed-elections-and-armed-conflict.
Liu, Jingping. “Manipulation without Resistance: Consensus Elections in Rural China.” The China Quarterly, 22 Dec. 2023, pp. 1–15, www.cambridge.org/core/journals/china-quarterly/article/manipulation-without-resistance-consensus-elections-in-rural-china/7B7D8D7CC83F642B9B5C7A98B4C20F29, https://doi.org/10.1017/S0305741023001765.
Qian, Jingyuan, et al. Tackling Corruption through Top-down Political Campaigns: Assessing China’s Anti-Corruption Crackdown under Xi Jinping. Dec. 2024.
United Nations. “Democracy.” United Nations, 2021, www.un.org/en/global-issues/democracy.
Zheng, Bofei, and Jiang Jiang. “Explainer | What’s China’s People’s Congress System?” Gingerriver.com, Jiang Jiang, 4 Mar. 2025, www.gingerriver.com/p/explainer-whats-chinas-peoples-congress. Accessed 6 Feb. 2025.
