A voter casts her ballot at a polling station in Chongqing's Shapingba district on Friday. Voters in the district reelected deputies to grassroots people's congresses. [Photo provided to China Daily]
People's rights have been well guaranteed under China's whole-process people's democracy, Chinese experts said at a seminar held by Shandong University on Friday.
Li Junru, vice-president of China Society for Human Rights Studies, said the whole-process people's democracy in China combines electoral democracy with consultative democracy and it covers democratic election, consultation, decision-making, management and supervision.
People can participate extensively in the management of State and social affairs and fully exercise their democratic rights in their daily lives, he said, adding that the will of the people can be reflected in all aspects of the country's political and social life.
Li Zhongxia, a law professor from Renmin University of China, said people's right of democratic political participation have been stipulated by the Constitution, which guarantees the most extensive democratic participation.
People's rights to participate in politics, including the right to vote and the right to be elected, and the freedom of opinion, publication, assembly and demonstration, have been stipulated in the Constitution, Li said.
One distinctive right stipulated in the Constitution is that people have the right to criticize and make suggestions to any State organ or functionary, Li said, adding that it's of great significance to the democratic supervision in China.
Wang Dezhi, a law professor of Shandong University, said that the whole-process people's democracy is conducive to broad social consensus, and to govern a huge country, it's important to pool wisdom and common will.
Through various means, people in China can fully express their views, make suggestions and reasonable demands during policy decisions, he said, and a broad consensus will be formed and the government will respond to them in a timely manner.