Almost 30 percent of the delegates elected to the upcoming 17th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) are from the local level, in both the public and private sectors, which makes it the best represented congress compared with the three previous meetings.

The voting turnout of the 70 million CPC members nationwide reached more than 98 percent, higher than the rate five years ago, the Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee said.

The rules of election for Party delegates were decided by the CPC Central Committee and the Political Bureau, headed by Hu Jintao, raised detailed instructions on electoral units.

According to the rules approved by the top leadership, every delegate to the 17th Party Congress has to abide by the Party Constitution and conscientiously study Marxism, Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought, Deng Xiaoping Theory and the important thought of Three Represents.

The delegates are also required to implement the Party's basic line, principle and policy and keep up with the Party central leadership. They should also have high integrity and close links with the populace, and are urged to honestly express the opinions of Party members and people they represent.

With the guidance of the central leadership, electoral units made use of various means including electronic tools such as cable TV networks and the Internet to mobilize Party members to recommend their candidates and appraise their candidacy.

Fishermen in coastal Zhejiang Province were notified via high-frequency radio on candidate recommendation. Some migrant workers who are living and working away from their permanent residence were contacted through phone calls and emails. Most of them responded immediately to inquiries on candidate recommendation and their own comments.

Deng Xianhua, a banking regulator in Chongqing Municipality, said in an interview with Xinhua, "We are totally free to recommend our trusted Party members."

At least 15 percent more candidates were provided in elections at various levels. The elected delegates have received rigorous scrutiny for their qualification and merits.

Among the finally elected delegates, women accounted for 20.1 percent and ethnic people made up 10.9 percent. About 93.3 percent have received higher education and 70.4 percent are younger than 55 years old.

(Xinhua News Agency August 6, 2007)