Commentary: All people equal before law

The amendment to the Electoral Law is a big issue in the country. Lawmakers will vote on the amendment at the end of the annual session. CCTV reporter Xu Zhaoqun has been following the issue closely and provides these thoughts on its significance.

CCTV reporter Xu Zhaoqun said, "I have been reporting from the National People's Congress and its Standing Committee for more than 7 years. I don't think ordinary people are very familiar with every law or why the law should be amended. However, the amendment is really significant for every citizen in this country. It effectively guarantees the political rights of citizens and ensures they are aware of those rights. It is not only the authentic expression that all people are equal in the law's eyes, but also solves the issue that people's equality should be taken into consideration as well, even during the process of legislation. I want to borrow the saying of the spokesman of the annual session to emphasize the significance of the amendment: It expands people's democracy and safeguards their rights to be the master of their own destiny."

The equal representation of urban and rural residents also reflects the equality among various regions. My home province Liaoning is a medium sized province in terms of population, it had urban and rural residents in parity some thirty years ago, while Sichuan is one of the largest provinces with a large number of farmers. The representation of these two provinces in the National People's Congress is almost the same, so their interests might not be well balanced in the legislature. And this is particularly a serious issue in a country with unbalanced regional development. Once the amendment is passed, the problem will be solved -- at least in legislation.