Uphold and improve the People's Congress system to ensure that the people are the masters of the country

Uphold and improve the People's Congress system to ensure that the people are the masters of the country

We must adhere to the constitutional concept that all state power belongs to the people, mobilize and organize the people to the most extensive extent to exercise state power through people's congresses at all levels in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution and laws, and manage state and social affairs, manage economic and social affairs through various channels and forms Cultural undertakings, jointly build, jointly enjoy and jointly develop, become the masters of the country, society and their own destiny. In accordance with the principle of democratic centralism established in the Constitution, the system of state power and the norms of activities, we must implement the unified exercise of state power by the People's Congress, implement both reasonable division of labor and mutual coordination of decision-making, executive and supervisory powers, and ensure that state organs comply with statutory regulations The authorities and procedures exercise powers and perform duties to ensure that state agencies organize various undertakings in a unified and effective manner.

60 years ago, the founders of our People's Republic, together with more than 1,200 deputies to the National People's Congress elected through universal suffrage, convened the first session of the First National People's Congress and adopted the "Constitution of the People's Republic of China", which established the The fundamental political system of the People's Republic of China - the People's Congress system. China, a country with a civilization history of more than 5,000 years and a population of hundreds of millions, has established a new political system in which the people are the masters of the country. This is of epoch-making significance in the history of Chinese political development and even the history of world political development.

From October 13 to 14, 2021, the Central People's Congress Work Conference was held in Beijing. Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee, President of the State, and Chairman of the Central Military Commission, attended the meeting and delivered an important speech. Reporter Wang Ye/photo

The implementation of the People's Congress system in China is a great creation of the Chinese people in the history of human political systems. It is a basic conclusion drawn from a profound summary of the painful lessons of China's political life since modern times. It is the historical result of more than 100 years of radical changes and development of Chinese society. It is an inevitable choice for the Chinese people to stand up and take charge of their own destiny.

The key reason why the People's Congress system has strong vitality and obvious advantages lies in its deep roots among the people. The name of our country and the names of our state agencies at all levels are all titled "people". This is our basic positioning of China's socialist regime. China's more than 2.6 million deputies to people's congresses at all levels must faithfully represent the interests and will of the people and participate in the exercise of state power in accordance with the law. State agencies at all levels and their staff, no matter what kind of work they do, ultimately serve the people. This basic positioning cannot be vague or diluted at any time.

When designing and developing a national political system, we must pay attention to the organic unity of history and reality, theory and practice, form and content. We must insist on proceeding from national conditions and reality. We must not only grasp the long-term historical inheritance, but also the development path we have traveled, the accumulated political experience, and the political principles formed. We must also grasp the practical requirements and focus on solving practical problems. We must not Cutting off history, we cannot imagine that a "flying peak" in the political system will suddenly come to us. The political system is used to regulate political relations, establish political order, promote national development, and maintain national stability. It is impossible to judge abstractly in isolation from specific social and political conditions, and it cannot be stereotyped or lumped together. In terms of political system, if we see that other countries have it but we don’t, we simply think it is lacking and we need to move it over; or if we see that we have it but other countries don’t, we simply think it is superfluous and we need to get rid of it. Both views are simplistic, one-sided, and therefore incorrect.

To evaluate whether a country's political system is democratic and effective, it mainly depends on whether the national leadership can be replaced in an orderly manner in accordance with the law, whether all the people can manage state affairs and social affairs, manage economic and cultural undertakings in accordance with the law, and whether the people can express their interests smoothly. It requires that all aspects of society can effectively participate in the country's political life, whether national decision-making can be scientific and democratic, whether talents from all walks of life can enter the national leadership and management system through fair competition, and whether the ruling party can realize its influence on the country in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution and laws. Whether the leadership of affairs and the use of power can be effectively restricted and supervised.

The key to developing socialist democratic politics is to increase and expand our advantages and characteristics, rather than to weaken and reduce our advantages and characteristics. We must persist in giving full play to the core leadership role of the Party in overseeing the overall situation and coordinating all parties, improve the Party's ability to govern scientifically, democratically, and in accordance with the law, ensure that the Party leads the people to effectively govern the country, and effectively prevent the phenomenon of a leaderless and scattered country. We must insist that all state power belongs to the people, not only ensure that the people conduct democratic elections in accordance with the law, but also ensure that the people conduct democratic decision-making, democratic management, and democratic supervision in accordance with the law, and effectively prevent the phenomenon of making promises during the election and no one paying attention after the election. We must uphold and improve the multi-party cooperation and political consultation system under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, strengthen cooperation and coordination among various forces in society, and effectively prevent the occurrence of party disputes and mutual strife. We must uphold and improve the system of regional ethnic autonomy, consolidate socialist ethnic relations of equality, unity, mutual assistance, and harmony, promote harmonious coexistence, unity, and harmonious development among all ethnic groups, and effectively prevent ethnic estrangement and conflicts. We must uphold and improve the system of grassroots mass self-governance, develop grassroots democracy, ensure that people directly exercise their democratic rights in accordance with the law, and effectively prevent the phenomenon of people having formal rights but not actually having rights. We must uphold and improve the system and principles of democratic centralism, promote various state agencies to improve their capabilities and efficiency, enhance coordination and cooperation, form a strong synergy for state governance, and effectively prevent mutual constraints and serious internal friction.

On March 10, 2023, the first session of the 14th National People's Congress held its third plenary session at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Xi Jinping was unanimously elected President of the People's Republic of China and Chairman of the Central Military Commission of the People's Republic of China. This is Xi Jinping taking the constitutional oath. Reporter Ju Peng/Photo

Whether it is the election of the party committee or the people's congress, the government, or the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, it must reflect the state system of the people's democratic dictatorship led by the working class and based on the alliance of workers and peasants. The proportion of basic mass representation must be guaranteed. Party and government cadres and business leaders must not squeeze out the rights that should be given to them. The quota for the basic masses must not be cheated by cheating or changing things. In a socialist country led by the Communist Party of China, all power belongs to the people, and political power must not be distributed based on status, wealth, or relationships!

We are following a path of socialist political development with Chinese characteristics. People's democracy is a whole-process democracy. All major legislative decisions are made in accordance with procedures, through democratic deliberation, and through scientific decision-making and democratic decision-making.

The Fourth Plenary Session of the 18th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China clearly stated that to persist in governing the country according to the law, we must first persist in governing the country in accordance with the constitution, and to persist in governing in accordance with the law, we must first persist in governing in accordance with the constitution. When we talk about governing the country according to the constitution and governing according to the constitution, there is an essential difference from the so-called "constitutional government" in the West, and the two cannot be confused. Adhering to governing the country and governing in accordance with the Constitution includes upholding the leadership status of the Communist Party of China as determined by the Constitution, and upholding the state system of the people's democratic dictatorship and the People's Congress system as determined by the Constitution.

Over the past 60 years, especially the 40 years of reform and opening up, the People's Congress system has provided an important institutional guarantee for the Party to lead the people in creating the miracle of rapid economic development and long-term social stability.

Practice has proven that the People's Congress system is a good system that conforms to my country's national conditions and reality, embodies the nature of a socialist country, ensures that the people are the masters of the country, and guarantees the realization of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. It is a great creation of our party's leadership of the people in the history of human political systems. It is a brand new political system of great significance in the history of political development in our country and even in the history of world political development.

The People's Congress system adheres to the leadership of the Communist Party of China, adheres to the basic principles of Marxist state theory, adapts to the state system of the people's democratic dictatorship, and effectively ensures that the country moves along the road of socialism. The People's Congress system insists that all state power belongs to the people, guarantees that the people are the masters of the country to the greatest extent, organically unifies the party's leadership, the people are the masters of the country, and the rule of law, effectively ensuring that national governance escapes the historical cycle of the rise and fall of chaos and chaos. The People's Congress system correctly handles a series of major political relationships related to the country's future and destiny, realizes the unified and efficient organization of various undertakings in the country, safeguards national unity and ethnic unity, and effectively ensures that the country's political life is both dynamic, stable and orderly.

Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the Party Central Committee has coordinated the overall strategic situation of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and the world's major changes unseen in a century. From the strategic perspective of upholding and improving the party's leadership and consolidating the socialist system with Chinese characteristics, it has continued to promote the People's Congress system. Theoretical and practical innovation proposes a series of new concepts, new ideas and new requirements, which mainly include the following aspects.

First, we must uphold the leadership of the Communist Party of China. Uphold the core role of the Party in taking charge of the overall situation and coordinating all parties, resolutely safeguard the authority and centralized and unified leadership of the Party Central Committee, ensure that the Party's theory, line, principles, policies and decision-making arrangements are fully and effectively implemented in national work, support and guarantee the national Government agencies carry out their work proactively, independently, responsibly, and in a coordinated manner in accordance with the Constitution and laws. It is necessary to strengthen and improve the party's leadership, be good at making the party's ideas become the will of the state through legal procedures, be good at making candidates recommended by party organizations become leaders of state power organs through legal procedures, and be good at implementing the party's influence on the country and society through state power organs. leadership, safeguard the authority of the party and the state, and safeguard the unity and unity of the entire party and the country.

Second, we must insist on using the institutional system to ensure that the people are the masters of the country. Adhere to the people-centered approach, insist that all state power belongs to the people, support and guarantee the people's exercise of state power through the People's Congress, improve the democratic system, enrich democratic forms, broaden democratic channels, ensure the people's equal participation and equal development rights, and develop more broadly and A more complete and sound full-process people's democracy.

Third, we must adhere to the comprehensive rule of law. Adhere to the path of socialist rule of law with Chinese characteristics, build a socialist rule of law system with Chinese characteristics, build a socialist rule of law country, carry forward the spirit of socialist rule of law, advance various national undertakings and work in accordance with the Constitution and laws, safeguard social fairness and justice, respect and guarantee human rights and realize the rule of law in all national work.

Fourth, we must adhere to democratic centralism. We insist on the people's unified exercise of state power through the People's Congress. People's Congresses at all levels are democratically elected, accountable to the people, and subject to people's supervision. State administrative agencies, supervisory agencies, judicial agencies, and procuratorial agencies at all levels are elected by the People's Congress. Responsible to the National People's Congress and subject to supervision by the National People's Congress; implement a reasonable division of labor and mutual coordination of decision-making, execution and supervision powers to ensure that state agencies exercise their powers and perform their duties in accordance with legal authority and procedures; persist in giving full play to local initiative under the unified leadership of the Party Central Committee and enthusiasm to ensure that the country organizes and promotes various undertakings in a unified and efficient manner.

Fifth, we must adhere to the path of socialist political development with Chinese characteristics. The core of upholding the party's leadership, the people being the masters of the country, and the organic unity of governing the country according to law is to uphold the party's leadership. The People's Congress system is a fundamental political institutional arrangement that adheres to the leadership of the Party, the people as masters of the country, and the governance of the country in accordance with the law. It ensures that the Party leads the people to effectively govern the country in accordance with the law. We can learn from the beneficial achievements of human political civilization, but we must never copy the Western political system model.

Sixth, we must persist in promoting the modernization of the national governance system and governance capabilities. The People's Congress system is an important part of the socialist system with Chinese characteristics and an important part of the national governance system. It is necessary to uphold and improve the system of people being the masters of the country, continuously promote the institutionalization, standardization, and proceduralization of socialist democratic politics, and better transform institutional advantages into governance effectiveness.

From December 14 to 15, 2023, Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee, President of the State, and Chairman of the Central Military Commission, inspected Guangxi. This is the morning of the 14th. Xi Jinping inspected the Party and Mass Service Center of Panlong Community, Liangqing District, Nanning City. Reporter Yan Yan / Photo

Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, we have deepened our understanding of the development laws of democratic politics and put forward the important concept of whole-process people's democracy. Our country's whole-process people's democracy not only has complete institutional procedures, but also has complete participatory practices. Our country implements a state system of people's democratic dictatorship led by the working class and based on the alliance of workers and peasants, a government system of the People's Congress system, a system of multi-party cooperation and political consultation led by the Communist Party of China, a system of regional ethnic autonomy, a system of grassroots mass autonomy, etc. The basic political system has consolidated and developed the broadest patriotic united front, formed a comprehensive, extensive, and organically connected system of people being the masters of the country, and built diverse, smooth, and orderly democratic channels. All people practice democratic elections, democratic consultations, democratic decision-making, democratic management, and democratic supervision in accordance with the law, and manage state affairs, economic and cultural undertakings, and social affairs through various channels and forms in accordance with the law. Our country's whole-process people's democracy has realized the unity of process democracy and outcome democracy, procedural democracy and substantive democracy, direct democracy and indirect democracy, and people's democracy and the will of the country. It is a full-chain, all-round, and full-coverage democracy. It is the broadest and most comprehensive democracy. The true and most effective socialist democracy. We must continue to promote the construction of people's democracy throughout the entire process, and make the people the masters of the country concretely and realistically reflected in the policies and measures of the party's governance of the country, and concretely and realistically reflected in the work of the party and state agencies at all levels and in all aspects. It should be reflected in the work of realizing the people's yearning for a better life in a practical and practical way.

The People's Congress system is an important institutional carrier for realizing the entire process of people's democracy in our country. Under the leadership of the party, we must continue to expand the people's orderly political participation, strengthen human rights and legal protection, and ensure that the people enjoy extensive rights and freedoms in accordance with the law. It is necessary to ensure that the people exercise their electoral rights in accordance with the law, democratically elect deputies to the National People's Congress, ensure that the people's rights to know, participate, express, and supervise are implemented in all aspects and links of the National People's Congress work, and ensure that the party and the state are responsible for decision-making, implementation, and supervision. The voices of the people can be heard in every aspect. It is necessary to improve the National People's Congress's democratic public opinion expression platform and carrier, improve the working mechanism to absorb public opinion and pool people's wisdom, promote the National People's Congress consultation and legislative consultation, and unify all aspects of social conditions and public opinion in the fundamental interests of the overwhelming majority of the people. It is necessary to strengthen the research and publicity work on socialist democracy with Chinese characteristics and the People's Congress system, clearly explain the characteristics and advantages of our country's political system, and tell the story of Chinese democracy well.

From February 1 to 2, 2024, Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee, President of the State, and Chairman of the Central Military Commission, came to Tianjin to visit and express condolences to grassroots cadres and the masses. This is the afternoon of the 1st. When Xi Jinping inspected Tianjin Ancient Culture Street, he walked into the store and interacted with the people on site. Reporter Xie Huanchi/photo

The election of deputies to the National People's Congress is the foundation of the People's Congress system and an important manifestation of the people's ownership of the country. It is necessary to integrate all links of democratic election, democratic consultation, democratic decision-making, democratic management, and democratic supervision, continuously develop the whole process of people's democracy, and better ensure that the people are the masters of the country. It is necessary to strengthen supervision of the entire election process, resolutely investigate and deal with irregularities in the election, ensure that the election work is clean and honest, and ensure that the election results are satisfactory to the people.

Strengthen the guarantee for the system of people being the masters of the country. Uphold and improve my country's fundamental political system, basic political system, and important political system, expand democratic channels, enrich democratic forms, and ensure that the people manage state affairs, manage economic and cultural undertakings, and manage social affairs through various channels and forms in accordance with the law. We support and guarantee the people's exercise of state power through the People's Congress, and ensure that people's congresses at all levels are democratically elected, accountable to the people, and subject to people's supervision. Support and ensure that the National People's Congress and its Standing Committee exercise legislative, supervisory, decision-making, appointment and removal powers in accordance with the law, improve the National People's Congress's supervision system over administrative agencies, supervisory agencies, judicial agencies, and procuratorial agencies, and safeguard the unity, dignity, and authority of the country's rule of law. Strengthen the work capacity building of people's congress deputies and close the ties between people's congress deputies and the people. We will improve the working mechanism for absorbing public opinion and pooling people's wisdom, and build a good legislative contact point at the grassroots level. Deepen the reform and construction of mass organizations such as trade unions, the Communist Youth League, and Women's Federation, and effectively play the role of bridges and ties. We must adhere to China's human rights development path, actively participate in global human rights governance, and promote the comprehensive development of human rights causes.

We must strengthen our confidence in the political system, unswervingly follow the path of socialist political development with Chinese characteristics, uphold and improve the socialist system with Chinese characteristics, uphold the unshakable leadership of the Communist Party of China as determined by the Constitution, and uphold the state system of the people's democratic dictatorship and the people's representatives as determined by the Constitution The political system of the conference system will not waver and will never copy the models and practices of other countries.

We must actively develop people's democracy throughout the process, adhere to the organic unity of the party's leadership, the people's ownership of the country, and the rule of law, improve the people's ownership system, realize the people's will, protect the people's rights and interests, and fully stimulate the enthusiasm, initiative and creativity of all people.

The "second combination" allows us to take the ideological and cultural initiative and exert a powerful influence on roads, theories and systems. From this perspective, the People's Congress system and the political consultation system created by our party are closely related to the people-oriented thinking of Chinese civilization, the concept of world co-governance, the governance tradition of "republicanism" and "consultation", and the political wisdom of "inclusiveness, seeking common ground while reserving differences" are deeply related. We did not engage in federalism or confederation. We established a unitary state and implemented a system of regional ethnic autonomy. This is to conform to the general trend of the development of the Chinese nation of inward cohesion and pluralism, and to inherit the China of nine states, six continents, and one family. Culture unifies tradition. More importantly, the "second combination" is another ideological emancipation, allowing us to make full use of the precious resources of China's excellent traditional culture in a broader cultural space and explore future-oriented theoretical and institutional innovations.

※This is an excerpt from General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important exposition on upholding and improving the People’s Congress system and ensuring that the people are the masters of the country from December 2012 to June 2023.