VI. The CPC Supports Other Political Parties and Non-Affiliates in Conducting Democratic Oversight
Democratic oversight of the CPC exercised by the non-CPC political parties and non-affiliates is an important way to leverage the strengths of China’s political party system and is an essential requirement in modernizing China’s system and capacity for governance. It plays a unique and irreplaceable role in the oversight system under socialism with Chinese characteristics.
The subjects of democratic oversight mainly include:
• implementation of the Constitution, laws and regulations of the state,
• formulation and implementation of major guidelines and policies of the CPC and the government, and
• the law-based governance of the country by the CPC and the performance of leading officials of the CPC in fulfilling their duties and in exercising power with integrity.
Forms of democratic oversight. The non-CPC political parties and non-affiliates offer opinions, criticism and advice when participating in political consultation and conducting field work, taking part in inspection and oversight of the implementation of major policies, decisions and plans of the state, and carrying out targeted oversight over major issues when entrusted by CPC committees. Specifically, those members of the non-CPC political parties and non-affiliates elected as deputies to people’s congresses participate in law enforcement inspections organized by the people’s congresses. Every year, the Supreme People’s Court and the Supreme People’s Procuratorate convene forums attended by members of the non-CPC political parties and non-affiliates to solicit their opinions and advice. Administrative departments, supervisory departments, courts and procuratorates invite representatives of non-CPC individuals to serve as special staffers and exercise oversight over relevant work. Currently, more than 12,700 non-CPC individuals are serving as special staffers in relevant departments at and above the prefectural level.
New practice of democratic oversight. Since the 18th CPC National Congress, the CPC Central Committee has been supporting the other political parties in strengthening targeted oversight over major reform measures, implementation of key policies, and the efforts to meet important binding targets in medium- and long-term plans of the state. In 2016, the CPC Central Committee entrusted central committees of the other eight political parties to pair with eight central and western provinces and autonomous regions that face onerous work in poverty alleviation and to monitor their progress in fighting poverty over the next five years. This move created a new area of multiparty cooperation which serves the priority of the state. Through in-depth field work and frank consultation, these political parties presented a series of constructive opinions, and offered criticism and advice on accurate identification of the impoverished population and targeted poverty alleviation. They made 36,000 interventions in democratic oversight over poverty alleviation, offered 2,400 items of written advice to CPC committees and governments of the eight provinces or autonomous regions, and submitted more than 80 reports of various types to the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, making a great contribution to securing victory in the campaign against poverty.
