五、坚持走中国特色社会主义政治发展道路和推进政治体制改革

V. Keeping to the Socialist Path of Making Political Advance with Chinese Characteristics and Promoting Reform of the Political Structure

人民民主是我们党始终高扬的光辉旗帜。改革开放以来，我们总结发展社会主义民主正反两方面经验，强调人民民主是社会主义的生命，坚持国家一切权力属于人民，不断推进政治体制改革，社会主义民主政治建设取得重大进展，成功开辟和坚持了中国特色社会主义政治发展道路，为实现最广泛的人民民主确立了正确方向。

People's democracy is a brilliant banner that has always been held high by our Party. Since the policy of reform and opening up was introduced, we have reviewed our experience, both positive and negative, in developing socialist democracy and reaffirmed that people's democracy is the life of socialism. We have ensured that all power of the state belongs to the people and worked to steadily promote reform of the political structure. As a result, we have made major progress in developing socialist democracy and opened up and kept to the socialist path of making political advance with Chinese characteristics, thus charting the correct course for achieving the most extensive possible people's democracy in China.

政治体制改革是我国全面改革的重要组成部分。必须继续积极稳妥推进政治体制改革，发展更加广泛、更加充分、更加健全的人民民主。必须坚持党的领导、人民当家作主、依法治国有机统一，以保证人民当家作主为根本，以增强党和国家活力、调动人民积极性为目标，扩大社会主义民主，加快建设社会主义法治国家，发展社会主义政治文明。要更加注重改进党的领导方式和执政方式，保证党领导人民有效治理国家；更加注重健全民主制度、丰富民主形式，保证人民依法实行民主选举、民主决策、民主管理、民主监督；更加注重发挥法治在国家治理和社会管理中的重要作用，维护国家法制统一、尊严、权威，保证人民依法享有广泛权利和自由。要把制度建设摆在突出位置，充分发挥我国社会主义政治制度优越性，积极借鉴人类政治文明有益成果，绝不照搬西方政治制度模式。

The reform of the political structure is an important part of China's overall reform. We must continue to make both active and prudent efforts to carry out the reform of the political structure, and make people's democracy more extensive, fuller in scope and sounder in practice. We must ensure the unity of the leadership of the Party, the position of the people as masters of the country and law-based governance. To guarantee the fundamental position of the people as masters of the country and to reach the goal of enhancing the vitality of the Party and country and keeping the people fully motivated, we should expand socialist democracy, accelerate the building of a socialist country based on the rule of law, and promote socialist political progress. We should place greater emphasis on improving the way the Party exercises leadership and governance to ensure that it leads the people in effectively governing the country. We should attach greater importance to improving the system of democracy and diversifying the forms of democracy to ensure that the people conduct democratic elections, decision-making, administration and oversight in accordance with the law. We should give greater scope to the important role the rule of law plays in the country's governance and in social management, uphold the unity, sanctity and authority of the country's legal system and ensure that the people enjoy extensive rights and freedoms as prescribed by law. We should place high importance on systemic building, give full play to the strength of the socialist political system and draw on the political achievements of other societies. However, we will never copy a Western political system.

（一）支持和保证人民通过人民代表大会行使国家权力。人民代表大会制度是保证人民当家作主的根本政治制度。要善于使党的主张通过法定程序成为国家意志，支持人大及其常委会充分发挥国家权力机关作用，依法行使立法、监督、决定、任免等职权，加强立法工作组织协调，加强对“一府两院”的监督，加强对政府全口径预算决算的审查和监督。提高基层人大代表特别是一线工人、农民、知识分子代表比例，降低党政领导干部代表比例。在人大设立代表联络机构，完善代表联系群众制度。健全国家权力机关组织制度，优化常委会、专委会组成人员知识和年龄结构，提高专职委员比例，增强依法履职能力。

1. Support and ensure the exercise of state power by the people through people's congresses

The system of people's congresses is China's fundamental political system for guaranteeing that the people decide their own destiny. We should make good use of legal procedures to turn the Party's propositions into the will of the state. We should support people's congresses and their standing committees in fully playing their role as organs of state power, in exercising legislative, oversight, policymaking, and personnel appointment and dismissal powers in accordance with the law, in strengthening organization and coordination of legislative work, in stepping up their oversight of people's governments, courts and procuratorates, and in tightening examination and oversight of all government budgets and final accounts. The proportion of community-level deputies to people's congresses, particularly those elected from among workers, farmers and intellectuals on the frontlines of various fields of endeavor should be raised, while that of deputies from among leading Party and government officials should be reduced. Deputy liaison offices should be established in people's congresses to improve the mechanism for deputies to maintain contact with the people. The organizational system for organs of state power should be improved. The age mix of the members of the standing committees and special committees of people's congresses should be improved and the areas of their expertise should be widened. The proportion of the full-time members of these committees should be raised. Deputies to people's congresses and members of these committees should enhance their capability to perform their duties pursuant to law.

（二）健全社会主义协商民主制度。社会主义协商民主是我国人民民主的重要形式。要完善协商民主制度和工作机制，推进协商民主广泛、多层、制度化发展。通过国家政权机关、政协组织、党派团体等渠道，就经济社会发展重大问题和涉及群众切身利益的实际问题广泛协商，广纳群言、广集民智，增进共识、增强合力。坚持和完善中国共产党领导的多党合作和政治协商制度，充分发挥人民政协作为协商民主重要渠道作用，围绕团结和民主两大主题，推进政治协商、民主监督、参政议政制度建设，更好协调关系、汇聚力量、建言献策、服务大局。加强同民主党派的政治协商。把政治协商纳入决策程序，坚持协商于决策之前和决策之中，增强民主协商实效性。深入进行专题协商、对口协商、界别协商、提案办理协商。积极开展基层民主协商。

2. Improve the system of socialist consultative democracy

Socialist consultative democracy is an important form of people's democracy in our country. We should improve its institutions and work mechanisms and promote its extensive, multilevel, and institutionalized development. Extensive consultations should be carried out on major issues relating to economic and social development as well as specific problems involving the people's immediate interests through organs of state power, committees of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, political parties, people's organizations and other channels to solicit a wide range of opinions, pool wisdom of the people, increase consensus, and build up synergy. We should adhere to and improve the system of multiparty cooperation and political consultation under the leadership of the Communist Party of China and make the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference serve as a major channel for conducting consultative democracy. The Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference should, focusing on the themes of unity and democracy, improve systems of political consultation, democratic oversight, and participation in the deliberation and administration of state affairs, and deliver a better job in coordinating relations, pooling strength and making proposals in the overall interests of the country. We should strengthen political consultation with the democratic parties, make political consultation a part of the policymaking process, conduct consultations before and when policy decisions are made, and make democratic consultation more effective. We should conduct intensive consultations on special issues with those who work on these issues, with representatives from all sectors of society, and with relevant government authorities on the handling of proposals. We should actively carry out democratic consultation at the community level.

（三）完善基层民主制度。在城乡社区治理、基层公共事务和公益事业中实行群众自我管理、自我服务、自我教育、自我监督，是人民依法直接行使民主权利的重要方式。要健全基层党组织领导的充满活力的基层群众自治机制，以扩大有序参与、推进信息公开、加强议事协商、强化权力监督为重点，拓宽范围和途径，丰富内容和形式，保障人民享有更多更切实的民主权利。全心全意依靠工人阶级，健全以职工代表大会为基本形式的企事业单位民主管理制度，保障职工参与管理和监督的民主权利。发挥基层各类组织协同作用，实现政府管理和基层民主有机结合。

3. Improve community-level democracy

An important way for the people to directly exercise their democratic rights in accordance with the law is for them to conduct self-management, self-service, self-education, and self-oversight in exercising urban and rural community governance, in managing community-level public affairs and in running public service programs. We should improve the mechanism for community-level self-governance under the leadership of community-level Party organizations to make it full of vitality. We should broaden the scope and channels of such self-governance and enrich its content and forms, with the focus on expanding orderly participation, promoting transparency in information, improving deliberation and consultation on public affairs, and strengthening oversight of the exercise of power, to ensure that the people have greater and more tangible democratic rights. We should rely wholeheartedly on the working class, improve the democratic management system in enterprises and public institutions with workers and employees' congress as its basic form, and protect workers and employees' democratic rights to participate in management and oversight. Community-level organizations of various types should also get involved to integrate government administration and community-level democracy.

（四）全面推进依法治国。法治是治国理政的基本方式。要推进科学立法、严格执法、公正司法、全民守法，坚持法律面前人人平等，保证有法必依、执法必严、违法必究。完善中国特色社会主义法律体系，加强重点领域立法，拓展人民有序参与立法途径。推进依法行政，切实做到严格规范公正文明执法。进一步深化司法体制改革，坚持和完善中国特色社会主义司法制度，确保审判机关、检察机关依法独立公正行使审判权、检察权。深入开展法制宣传教育，弘扬社会主义法治精神，树立社会主义法治理念，增强全社会学法尊法守法用法意识。提高领导干部运用法治思维和法治方式深化改革、推动发展、化解矛盾、维护稳定能力。党领导人民制定宪法和法律，党必须在宪法和法律范围内活动。任何组织或者个人都不得有超越宪法和法律的特权，绝不允许以言代法、以权压法、徇私枉法。

4. Promote law-based governance of the country in an all-around way

The rule of law is the basic way for running the country. We should make laws in a scientific way, enforce them strictly, administer justice impartially, and ensure that everyone abides by the law. We must make sure that all are equal before the law and that laws are observed and strictly enforced and lawbreakers are prosecuted. We should improve the socialist system of laws with Chinese characteristics, strengthen legislation in key areas, and expand channels for people's orderly participation in the legislative process. We should exercise government administration in accordance with the law and ensure that law enforcement is conducted in a strict, fair, and civilized way according to due procedures. We should continue to deepen reform of the judicial structure, uphold and improve the socialist judicial system with Chinese characteristics, and ensure that judicial and procuratorial bodies independently and impartially exercise their respective powers pursuant to law. We should carry out intensive publicity and education about the law, foster socialist spirit of the rule of law, and adopt the socialist concept of law-based governance. We should enhance the whole society's awareness of the need to study, respect, observe, and apply the law. We should ensure that leading officials are guided by law in both thinking and action in their effort to deepen reform, promote development, solve problems, and maintain stability. As the Constitution and laws are adopted by the Party and the people under its leadership, the Party must act within the scope prescribed by the Constitution and laws. No organization or individual has the privilege of overstepping the Constitution and laws, and no one in a position of power is allowed in any way to take one's own words as the law, place one's own authority above the law or abuse the law.

（五）深化行政体制改革。行政体制改革是推动上层建筑适应经济基础的必然要求。要按照建立中国特色社会主义行政体制目标，深入推进政企分开、政资分开、政事分开、政社分开，建设职能科学、结构优化、廉洁高效、人民满意的服务型政府。深化行政审批制度改革，继续简政放权，推动政府职能向创造良好发展环境、提供优质公共服务、维护社会公平正义转变。稳步推进大部门制改革，健全部门职责体系。优化行政层级和行政区划设置，有条件的地方可探索省直接管理县（市）改革，深化乡镇行政体制改革。创新行政管理方式，提高政府公信力和执行力，推进政府绩效管理。严格控制机构编制，减少领导职数，降低行政成本。推进事业单位分类改革。完善体制改革协调机制，统筹规划和协调重大改革。

5. Deepen reform of the administrative system

Reform of the administrative system is a necessary requirement for making the superstructure compatible with the economic base. To reach the goal of establishing a socialist administrative system with Chinese characteristics, we should separate government administration from the management of enterprises, state assets, public institutions, and social organizations, and build a well-structured, clean and efficient service-oriented government that has scientifically defined functions and satisfies the people. We should deepen the reform of the system concerning matters subject to government examination and approval, continue to streamline administration and delegate more power to lower levels, and make the government better perform its functions of creating a favorable environment for development, providing quality public services, and maintaining social fairness and justice. We should steadily advance the reform to establish larger government departments and improve division of functions among them. We should improve the structure of administrative setup and geographical administrative divisions, experiment with the reform to place counties and county-level cities directly under the jurisdiction of provincial governments where conditions permit, and deepen reform of the administrative system at the town and township level. We should exercise government administration in an innovative way, increase public trust in the government, and improve its competence so as to make the government performance-oriented. We should strictly control the size of government bodies, cut the numbers of their leading officials, and reduce their administrative costs. We should continue the reform of public institutions based on the classification of their functions. We should improve the mechanism for coordinating structural reforms and conduct major reforms in a holistic way according to the overall plan.

（六）健全权力运行制约和监督体系。坚持用制度管权管事管人，保障人民知情权、参与权、表达权、监督权，是权力正确运行的重要保证。要确保决策权、执行权、监督权既相互制约又相互协调，确保国家机关按照法定权限和程序行使权力。坚持科学决策、民主决策、依法决策，健全决策机制和程序，发挥思想库作用，建立健全决策问责和纠错制度。凡是涉及群众切身利益的决策都要充分听取群众意见，凡是损害群众利益的做法都要坚决防止和纠正。推进权力运行公开化、规范化，完善党务公开、政务公开、司法公开和各领域办事公开制度，健全质询、问责、经济责任审计、引咎辞职、罢免等制度，加强党内监督、民主监督、法律监督、舆论监督，让人民监督权力，让权力在阳光下运行。

6. Improve the mechanism for conducting checks and oversight over the exercise of power

To ensure proper exercise of power, it is important to put power, Party and government operations and personnel management under institutional checks and uphold people's right to stay informed about, participate in, express views on, and oversee Party and government operations. We should make sure that decision-making, executive and oversight powers check each other and function in concert and that government bodies exercise their powers in accordance with statutory mandate and procedures. We should continue to conduct scientific, democratic, and law-based policymaking, improve decision-making mechanisms and procedures, seek advice of think tanks, and establish sound mechanisms for decision-making accountability and remedy. Whenever we make a decision involving the immediate interests of the people, we must solicit their views on it. We must not do anything that may harm the interests of the people and must correct any action that causes damage to their interests. We should make the exercise of power more open and standardized, and increase transparency of Party, government and judicial operations and official operations in other fields. We should improve the systems of inquiry, accountability, economic responsibility auditing, resignation and dismissal. We should tighten intra-Party, democratic and legal oversight as well as oversight through public opinion to ensure that the people oversee the exercise of power and that power is exercised in a transparent manner.

（七）巩固和发展最广泛的爱国统一战线。统一战线是凝聚各方面力量，促进政党关系、民族关系、宗教关系、阶层关系、海内外同胞关系的和谐，夺取中国特色社会主义新胜利的重要法宝。要高举爱国主义、社会主义旗帜，巩固统一战线的思想政治基础，正确处理一致性和多样性的关系。坚持长期共存、互相监督、肝胆相照、荣辱与共的方针，加强同民主党派和无党派人士团结合作，促进思想上同心同德、目标上同心同向、行动上同心同行，加强党外代表人士队伍建设，选拔和推荐更多优秀党外人士担任各级国家机关领导职务。全面正确贯彻落实党的民族政策，坚持和完善民族区域自治制度，牢牢把握各民族共同团结奋斗、共同繁荣发展的主题，深入开展民族团结进步教育，加快民族地区发展，保障少数民族合法权益，巩固和发展平等团结互助和谐的社会主义民族关系，促进各民族和睦相处、和衷共济、和谐发展。全面贯彻党的宗教工作基本方针，发挥宗教界人士和信教群众在促进经济社会发展中的积极作用。鼓励和引导新的社会阶层人士为中国特色社会主义事业作出更大贡献。落实党的侨务政策，支持海外侨胞、归侨侨眷关心和参与祖国现代化建设与和平统一大业。

7. Consolidate and develop the broadest possible patriotic united front

The united front is a powerful instrument for winning new victory for socialism with Chinese characteristics by pooling the strength of all quarters and harmonizing relations between political parties, ethnic groups, religions, social groups and compatriots at home and overseas. We should hold high the banner of patriotism and socialism, consolidate the theoretical and political foundation of the united front, and strike a balance between commonality and diversity. Guided by the principle of long-term coexistence, mutual oversight, treating each other with sincerity and sharing of both good and bad times, we should strengthen unity and cooperation with the democratic parties and public figures without party affiliation, pursue the common goal with unity in thought and action, strengthen the ranks of non-Party representative figures and select and recommend more outstanding individuals with no Party affiliation for taking up leading positions in government bodies at all levels. We should fully and faithfully implement the Party's policies concerning ethnic groups and uphold and improve the system of regional ethnic autonomy. We should, keeping to the goal of all ethnic groups working together for common prosperity and development, conduct intensive education about ethnic unity and progress, speed up development of ethnic minority areas, and protect the legitimate rights and interests of ethnic minorities. We should consolidate and develop socialist ethnic relations of equality, unity, mutual assistance and harmony so that all ethnic groups in China will live and develop together in harmony. We should comprehensively implement the Party's basic policy on religion and fully leverage the positive role of religious figures and believers in promoting economic and social development. We should encourage and guide members of new social groups to contribute more to the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics. We should continue to implement the Party's policy on overseas Chinese affairs and support overseas Chinese, returned overseas Chinese and their families in endorsing and participating in China's modernization endeavors and its great cause of peaceful reunification.

中国特色社会主义政治发展道路是团结亿万人民共同奋斗的正确道路。我们一定要坚定不移沿着这条道路前进，使我国社会主义民主政治展现出更加旺盛的生命力。

The socialist path of making political advance with Chinese characteristics is a correct path that rallies people in their hundreds of millions in pursuing a common cause. We must advance unwaveringly along this path to ensure that China's socialist democracy has ever greater vitality.