By Xinhua
Beijing : China’s parliament is considering amendment to the election law to give equal representation to rural and urban residents, said a parliament spokesman here Tuesday.
“Given the increasing urbanization in China, the present election law needs amending,” said Jiang Enzhu, spokesman for the first session of the National People’s Congress (NPC), at a press conference.
According to the present election law, the number of people a rural NPC member or deputy represents is four times the number of people an urban deputy does.
With the increase of urban population, it is necessary to give equal representation to the two groups, Jiang said.
The spokesman said “it is up to the NPC standing committee, to be elected at the upcoming session, to make a decision on moving the amendment.”
The 4:1 ratio of representation was based on the reality of Chinese society when the law was amended in 1995, Jiang said.
By 2006, China has about 577 million urban and 723 million rural residents, he said.