GOLD Report I - UCLG

ASIA-PACIFIC82United Cities and Local Governments9. Gunter Schubert(2003), «Democracyunder one-partyrule?», Chinaperspectives n°46,March-April; LaiHairong (2004),“Semi-competitiveelections at townshiplevel in Sichuanprovince”, ChinaPerspectives n°51,January-February.IV.3. The role of political partiesPartisan local elections are the norm in theAsia-Pacific region. The only significantexceptions are New Zealand and Australiawhere non-partisan or independent affiliationis the norm except in large cities.Attempts to ‘de-politicize’ local governmenthave occurred in Pakistan and the Philippines,two countries where politicalparties are a vital part of political life at thenational level. In Pakistan, political partiesare banned from contesting local electionsand in the Philippines they are banned frombarangay elections but are allowed at allother tiers of local government. However,in practice political parties play a majorrole in local government elections in Pakistanby supporting candidates who are closelyidentified with one party or another.In China and Vietnam, the only politicalparty allowed to contest local elections isthe ruling Communist Party. Independentcandidates may stand for election in Vietnambut all candidates (whether Party onnon-Party) must initially be screened by arange of institutions, such as the FatherlandFront, that are closely linked to theCommunist Party of Vietnam. Thiseffectively ensures that all candidates speakmore or less the same ‘political language’(that of the Party) and thus implies alimitation on any variation in the politicalprograms of candidates. In China, free anddirect elections of village committees havebeen introduced since 1987, and have becomecompulsory nation wide since 1997(15th Communist Party Congress); in 2004there were committees elected in 85% ofvillages and 75% of neighborhood communitiesin urban areas. From 1995 (firstexperience), township leading positions(governor, deputy-governor and sometimesthe Party secretary) have been subjectto a semi-competitive electionprocedure in the province of Sichuan andin some counties elsewhere. This semicompetitiveprocedure includes as a rule akind of primary election among self-nominatedcandidates by a broad selectorate(150 – 300 people), before approval by theparty leadership at county level, and finaldirect election by the citizens among selectedcandidates. Although under Party control,these elections have already changedthe relationships between villages andlower local government levels in favour ofvillages 9 .Local government elections throughout theregion are hotly contested but are oftenmarred by manipulation and cheating bycompeting parties. In most countries, localpolitical parties are branches of nationalpolitical parties. Independent candidatesare prohibited in Indonesia but are allowedin the Philippines. Local and national electionsare often synchronized, with local partybranches receiving funds from their nationalheadquarters to promote the electoralcampaigns of candidates for national office.Throughout the region, politicians viewlocal government as a stepping stone tonational political office. However, as aresult of decentralization reforms, issuebasedlocal elections are increasinglytransforming local politics.IV.4. Citizen Participationin Local GovernanceLocal government is the closest tier ofgovernment to the citizens. As such it is thefirst entry point for people to gain access toand influence decision-making in government.In all the selected countries, citizenparticipation in local governance is increasinglygaining importance. The most commonform of participation is through theelectoral system. All countries allow localcitizens to select to varying degrees theleaders who manage the affairs of thecommunity, ranging from the consultativepeople’s congress in Vietnam and China tothe directly elected councils and mayors ofAustralia, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea,New Zealand, Pakistan, Philippines andThailand. The level of participation in localgovernment elections varies considerablythroughout the selected countries. The