Elections in China

In China, elections have formed an important component of the post-Mao political reforms initiated in December 1978. Closely linked to such areas of political reform as "democratization', the "rule of law', and "political institutional reform', China's electoral reform proceeded more quickly than Soviet electoral reform. They provided voters, for example, with some choice of candidates as early as 1980, though they now lag far behind those of the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. Based on field research, including direct observation of the 1987 elections, interviews with participants, and discussions with Chinese social scientists, this article examines the post-Mao electoral process in China. -from Author