海选: 中国特色的选举 Haixuan: Election, the Chinese Style

在西方，人们一直猜想中国会不会成为一个民主选举的国家，敌对的政党在投票箱上决胜负。中国的立场看来是，中国并不需要模仿西方的体系，或者引进多个政党轮流执政的做法。

中国自古并没有政党概念。统治者就是政党。如果需要一个选举系统的话，那个系统一定要反映中国的国情。

二十世纪八十年代初期，中国政府就已经静悄悄地通过组织村民委员会的直选来推行这个可能是世界最大的民间基层组织的民主教育工作。他们有一个特别的名词：海选。

这个方法是吉林省梨树村的农人所构思出来的，其方式有如初选，很快的流行起来。每一个选民都有权提议他心目中的候选人来担任公职。候选人有竞选发言与回答问题的机会。拿到最高票的两个或三个候选人进入最后选举。

‘海选’生动地反映了从人海中选出人选的意愿。它也表示没有固定的候选人，每个人都可以选他所中意的候选人。

这个方法在1998年《中华人民共和国村民委员会组织法》第14条规定选举村民委员会应由本村有选举权的村民直接提名候选人后，成为官方接受的正式选举法。

这就难怪‘海选’成为一个新的流行语，现在几乎什么都用海选，包括‘超女’海选，书法海选。

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In the West, people always wonder whether China will ever become an electoral democracy - with rival parties fighting for power at the ballot box. The Chinese leaders’ position seem to be that China would never simply copy the system of Western countries or introduce a system of multiple parties holding office in rotation.

China does not need the concept of a party system and so if they need an election system, the system should reflect the Chinese situations and circumstances.

Since the early 1980s, the Chinese government has been quietly promoting, through the establishment of directly elected villager committees, what may be the world's largest grassroots democratic education process. And they have a special term for it: Haixuan (literally sea election, or competitive election).

Conceived by farmers in Lishu County, Jilin Province, a method which operates like an open primary has gain widespread popularity. Every voter has the right to nominate candidates for all open offices, candidates are often permitted to make campaign speeches and answer questions from the villagers, and the top two to three vote-getters then go on to compete in the final election.

The Chinese term ‘Sea Election’ vividly reflect the intention of the election is a selection from a sea of candidates. It also means that there is no fixed candidate and anyone can vote for his or her favourite candidate.

The method of election was formalised on 4 Nov 1998 when the 1998 Organic Law on Villager Committees (VC Law) requires that villager committees (VCs) be elected directly by the qualified villages and Haixuan has become the official method of election.

It is no wonder that Haixuan has become the buzz word in China and it is now used in almost all types of competitions or contests, such as the Super Girl Contest - the Chinese version of the American Idol, and even the Chinese calligraphy competitions.