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The election law also stipulates that at least a third more candidates than there are seats must stand in district and township level people's congress elections. Congress members, the country's legislators, at district, county and township levels, are directly elected; while congress members at the higher municipal or national level, are indirectly elected by the members of the levels below.
In Jilin the number of deputies who are government officials can not exceed 25 per cent of the total number of deputies, ensuring grass-roots congresses have a solid proportion of workers, farmers and intellectuals.
The province has also decided that at least 25 per cent of county and township deputies should be female, so as to protect women's political and democratic rights
According to the schedule drawn up by the National People's Congress (NPC), all county and township congress members will be elected by December 31, 2007.
Around 900 million people will vote in county elections, and 600 million in township elections, according to NPC statistics.
More than 2 million deputies will be elected.
This year's is the most extensive grass-roots direct election ever, since the Constitution was amended in 2003, expanding township congress deputies' term to five years beginning from next year, according to the NPC.