The organization department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee announced in Beijing on Thursday that 1,968 officials have been punished for wrongdoing during the reshuffle of local governments, legislatures and political advisory bodies.

They have received administrative and discipline punishment and some are even facing criminal charges, said the Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee in a press release.

Organization departments on all levels have investigated about 25,000 complaints since the reshuffle began in 2006 and found 1,844 cases of malpractice, the statement said.

The city, county and township governments, branches of the People's Congress and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) were undergoing leadership elections and reshuffle as many officials had finished their five-year term.

The work would be done at the provincial level in the first half of next year.

The Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee announced earlier this month that a senior official in north China's Hebei provincial government, whose name was not made public, was dismissed for buying votes by "giving out gifts, paying home visits to people concerned and inviting them out for dinners".

Late last month, the department specially issued a circular that warned officials against using corrupt methods to gain promotions.

In a bid to create "a clean and upright environment for elections" the circular pledged to seriously punish those found buying and selling government posts or offering bribes to acquire higher positions.

It also asked local party committees to conduct  joint efforts with the CPC's discipline inspection committees to firmly curb illicit activities during elections.

The public was encouraged to call the "12380" hotline to report any malpractice and/or corrupt candidates during the local leadership reshuffle.

The public played a critical role in supervising officials via the hotline, e-mails and letters, together with the media, the statement said.

In the Hebei case, the Organization Department said that it had received tips from local people and then started a probe into the case.

(Xinhua News Agency December 21, 2007)