中國這個(gè)有著9億農(nóng)民的世界上人口最多的國家，民主化進(jìn)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(hù)的領(lǐng)頭人，這就是10年來在中國廣大農(nóng)村推行的村民委員會選舉。民主意識的春風(fēng)細(xì)雨，滋潤著遼闊的中國大地。

The process of democratization has made muchheadway in China, the world's most populouscountry with 900 million farmers. In some one millionrural villages, residents have elected their favoriteleaders to make up the villagers' committee. This election breeze, which originated a decadeago and has thus swept across the country's vast rural areas, has helped foster and enhancethe consciousness of democracy of the vast number of Chinese farmers.

村委會選舉的實(shí)踐表明，凡是經(jīng)過廣大農(nóng)民群眾依法直接選舉產(chǎn)生的村委會干部，絕大多數(shù)為人正直，工作能力強(qiáng)，工作作風(fēng)比較好，懂經(jīng)濟(jì)，會管理，是帶領(lǐng)村民致富奔小康，建設(shè)富裕、民主、文明的社會主義新農(nóng)村的帶頭人。最新一輪換屆選舉資料顯示，新當(dāng)選的村委會成員教育程度不斷提高，年齡結(jié)構(gòu)日趨合理。初中文化程度占70%以上，有些還是大專、大學(xué)學(xué)歷。在全國，30歲左右的年輕人進(jìn)入村委會的大到60%。農(nóng)村基層干部隊(duì)伍的整體素質(zhì)明顯提高。

The practice of village committee elections shows that the majority of committee cadres directlyelected by the farmers in accordance with the law are upright and capable, have a good ofadministration, and know economics and management. They are leaders who can help theirfellow villagers get on the road leading to a comfortable life, reach a moderate level ofprosperity 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 middleschool education while a few have received a junior college of university education. Youngpeople 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 improvedsignificantly.

民主意識的生長正是從最基層的村級選舉，從農(nóng)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(yù)選、參加投票這一項(xiàng)項(xiàng)活動，得到了實(shí)實(shí)在在的民主訓(xùn)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, andfrom the election of the people familiar to the farmer voters. In the course of election, thefarmers have received actual democratic training from the process of registrating as voters,nominating candidates, pre-electing and casting votes. This process has also fostered theirsense of democracy and law.

中國政府認(rèn)為，擴(kuò)大基層民主，保證人民群眾直接行使民主權(quán)力，依法管理自己多時(shí)期，創(chuàng)造自己的幸福生活，是社會主義民主最廣泛的實(shí)踐;并要求城鄉(xiāng)基層政權(quán)機(jī)關(guān)和基層群眾性自治組織都要健全民主選舉制度，實(shí)行政務(wù)公開和財(cái)務(wù)公開，讓群眾參與討論和決定基層公共事務(wù)和公益事業(yè)，對干部實(shí)行明主監(jiān)督。

The Chinese government holds that it is the mostextensive practice of socialist democracy toexpand grassroots democracy, ensure the peopletheir right in direct democratic election, and allowthe citizens to manage their own affairs inaccordance with the law and build a happy life. The government requires all urban and ruralgrass-roots organs of political power and grass-roots public self-governing organizations toperfect the democratic electoral system, separate administrative management from financialmanagement, and let the general public participate in the discussion of and make decisionsabout grass-roots public and welfare concerns, as well as exercise democratic supervisionover cadres.

進(jìn)一步搞好村委會選舉，是中國億萬農(nóng)民的共同心愿，也是中國推進(jìn)政治體制改革和民主政治建設(shè)的需要。隨著中國經(jīng)濟(jì)的持續(xù)發(fā)展和社會全面進(jìn)步，中國的民主建設(shè)將更加廣泛，中國的民主化進(jìn)程也將進(jìn)一步加快。

The improvement on the process and procedure in the election of villagers' committee willnot only reflect the common aspiration of China's hundreds of millions of farmers, but alsomeet 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 democratizationprocess will speed up.