NPC Standing Committee Chairman Zhang Dejiang speaks during the second plenary session at the National People's Congress in Beijing on March 8. (Photo : Reuters)
A senior Chinese official declared Sunday that all loopholes must be closed in electing deputies to people congresses following a series of election fraud cases in Hengyang City.
"We must effectively strengthen the Communist Party of China's leadership over the election of deputies to people's congresses, be strict in the election of deputies, follow procedures strictly in accordance with the law," said Zhang Dejiang, chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, while delivering a work report at an annual session of the NPC.
Fifty-six lawmakers from Hengyang City in central China's Hunan Province are under investigation for allegedly bribing 518 municipal legislators and 68 staff in order to be elected to the Hunan provincial people's congress, according to a report from Xinhua News Agency.
The fraud is considered to be the worst in recent history due to the number of people involved and the quantity of money, which is said to exceed 110 million yuan ($18 million).
The vote-buying case in Hengyang will be severely dealt with in line with China's laws and codes of discipline, said Zhang.
"We must take this profound lesson to heart, and improve relevant institutions to close all loopholes," he added
Zhang also emphasized the importance of the role of the standing committees of people's congresses at all levels and pushed for the improvement of mechanisms for reviewing qualifications of officials as well as more stringent oversight over the entire process of electing deputies to ensure that the elections are carried out honestly.
The Standing Committee chairman delivered his speech during the plenary meeting of the ongoing NPC session last week, which was attended by nearly 3,000 officials including President Xi Jinping and Premier Le Keqiang.
