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democratic election in desert (10/20/2002)
The morning light was spread over the dunes and onto a 51 year-old
herdswoman Li Meiying when she left for Badain Jaran village where
an election was being held.
To get to the village to cast her vote, Li had a walk of 50 kilometers
or a two day mule-ride deep into Badain Jaran Shamo, the world's
fourth largest desert.
Badain Jaran is home to 102 people, the families of 38 herdsmanwho
are scattered throughout a 3,000-square-kilometer desert. The people
gathered there late September to elect their deputies to Yabrai
Town's Seventh People's Congress, a local legislature in Alxa Right
Banner of northern China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.
Over half of the voters had spent two days walking through the
desert like Li before arriving at the site for village gathering.
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"You don't meet a single person on the way and hear only the
howl of the wolf when you sleep in the desert at night, " Li
said.
"My problem was not the wolves because I had firecrackers
in mypockets to scare them away," explained the 1.6-meter tall
and 80-kilogram herdswoman. "My problem was getting on my mule.
It's hardfor me to do that and I had to struggle several times."
The meeting place is beside a little salt lake called Miaohaizi,where
three village families are living. The only buildings are five rows
of bungalows and a lamasery with the history of over 100years.
The election was held in one of the bungalows, with silk banners
and certificates of merit saying "the model unit of ethnic
unity" and "the model unit of public security", hanging
on the walls.
Though the election was just in a remote ethnic minority area,
it followed the same legal procedures as an election at higher levels.
The election notice was in both Mongolian and Han languages andcandidates
were required to deliver their speeches in both languages, which
is in accordance with the Laws on Regional Autonomy of China's Ethnic
Minority Groups.
Voters were checked as the election began, and none of the households
missed the election day as the notice had been sent outsix months
earlier.
"I chalked the election date on my door in case I missed it,"said
Aldanqiqig who was sitting in a corner of the venue.
After the formalities were over the voters present recommendedfour
candidates for three deputies and the people to oversee the election,
those to count the ballots and those to call the ballotswere chosen.
Ballots were then distributed to voters present and to the agents
of those unable to come. In all, 89 people were eligible to vote,
45 out of whom were present.
"Imagine, I traveled two days by mule just to choose capable
representatives, " said Li Meiying, who was illiterate.
"I know which box stands for whom, I have asked the educated
and figured it out," Li added.
The village were entitled to having three deputies. As there were
four candidates, one of them was doomed to be out.
The results of the election were announced soon, showing that village
head Aoqir was defeated by the other three candidates.
"I feel a bit frustrated. It seems that I must do more things
for the herdsman in the future," said Aoqir.
Among the elected, 48-year-old Jihuleng is the only one withouta
government position.
"Jihuleng is well educated. He often speaks out for us and
cares about the public affairs of the village," said one voter
called Haswulichi. Enditem
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