The Wukan municipal election was held in

Wukan Wukan () is a coastal fishing village in (), in the county-level city of Lufeng, Guangdong. It has a population of approximately 13,000 residents, and is located approximately east of Hong Kong near the South China Sea coast.Ewing, Kent"Guangdo ...

, People's Republic of China on 3 March 2012 following an

uprising Rebellion, uprising, or insurrection is a refusal of obedience or order. It refers to the open resistance against the orders of an established authority. A rebellion originates from a sentiment of indignation and disapproval of a situation and ...

against the ruling Communist government over alleged land grabs in which protesters forced out the incumbent government; the provincial government then acceded to an election for a committee to govern Wukan after protesters sought an end to what they said was decades of Communist party corruption. The election would choose a seven-member village committee, including a village chief and his two deputies, who would control local finances and the sale and apportioning of collectively owned village land. It was one of the first contested elections held in the Communist-controlled territory in China since the 1948 nationwide elections in the

Republican era Republican Era can refer to: * Minguo calendar, the official era of the Republic of China It may also refer to any era in a country's history when it was governed as a republic or by a Republican Party. In particular, it may refer to: * Roman Rep ...

Background

Following the standoff in December 2011 over illegal land sales, protest leader Lin Zulian was named the new

Communist Party of China The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), officially the Communist Party of China (CPC), is the founding and sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Under the leadership of Mao Zedong, the CCP emerged victorious in the Chinese Civil ...

secretary of Wukan. As part of the truce with authorities, the governor of Guangdong province acquiesced to a village election in Wukan—the first of its kind to employ a secret ballot.Rahul Jacob and Zhou Ping
Wukan’s young activists embrace new role
Financial Times, 12 February 2012. A series of three elections was planned, which would select 100 representatives to oversee the village's governing committee. During the first round election on 1 February, some 6,000 Wukan villagers voted for an independent committee to supervise the election for a new seven-member village leadership committee.
2 February 2012. ''Businessweek'' Archived fro

on 2 February 2012 On 11 February, over 6,500 villagers (85% of the population) voted to elect 107 village representatives, with protester leader Lin Zulian as village party chief replacing the ousted leader (Communist Party secretary Xue Chang, who has been in the position since 1970), after 42 years in office. Xue Jianwan, the daughter of the late protest leader Xue Jinbo, who died in state custody, was also elected. According to ''WSJ'' writer Josh Chin, the election appeared to be "free of the Communist Party meddling that typically mars Chinese election results."

Monitors

An unidentified U.S. diplomat said that a U.S. observer was sent to oversee the electoral process. The U.S. consul in

Guangdong Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020) ...

was permitted to observe the election.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wukan municipal election, 2012 2012 elections in China