Organic Law of the Villagers’ Committees of the PRC — Full English Translation (2018)

Adopted at the 5th Meeting of the Standing Committee of the Ninth National People’s Congress on November 4, 1998; revised at the 17th Meeting of the Standing Committee of the Eleventh National People’s Congress on October 28, 2010

Amended in accordance with the Decision on Amending the Organic Law of the Villagers’ Committees of the People’s Republic of China adopted at the 7th Meeting of the Standing Committee of the Thirteenth National People’s Congress on December 29, 2018

Effective: December 29, 2018

Table of Contents

Chapter I — General Provisions

Article 1 — This Law is enacted in accordance with the Constitution for the purpose of safeguarding the self-government of villagers in rural areas, enabling villagers to handle their own affairs in accordance with the law, developing democracy at the grassroots level in rural areas, maintaining the lawful rights and interests of villagers, and promoting the construction of a new socialist countryside.

Article 2 — The villagers’ committee is a self-governing organization of villagers at the grassroots level, under which villagers manage their own affairs, educate themselves, and serve their own needs, and exercise democratic election, democratic decision-making, democratic management, and democratic supervision. The villagers’ committee shall handle the public affairs and public welfare undertakings of the village, mediate disputes among villagers, assist in maintaining public order, and convey the opinions, demands, and suggestions of villagers to the people’s government.

Article 3 — The villagers’ committee shall carry out its work under the leadership of the village Party organization. The establishment and revocation of villagers’ committees, as well as adjustments to their scope, shall be proposed by the people’s governments of townships, ethnic townships, or towns and shall be submitted to the people’s governments at the county level for approval after discussion and agreement by the villagers’ assembly.

Article 4 — The people’s governments of townships, ethnic townships, and towns shall guide, support, and assist the villagers’ committees in their work, but shall not interfere in matters that fall within the scope of villagers’ self-government in accordance with the law.

Article 5 — The villagers’ committee shall assist the people’s governments of townships, ethnic townships, and towns in their work.

Chapter II — The Villagers’ Committee

Article 6 — The villagers’ committee shall be composed of three to seven members, including a chairman, a vice-chairman, and committee members. Women shall have an appropriate number of seats on the villagers’ committee. The members of the villagers’ committee shall not be divorced from production and may be provided with appropriate subsidies in light of the actual circumstances.

Article 7 — The villagers’ committee may establish subordinate committees such as a people’s mediation committee, a public security committee, and a public health committee as needed. Where the village population is small, members of the villagers’ committee may concurrently serve as members of the subordinate committees.

Article 8 — The villagers’ committee shall support and organize villagers in developing various forms of cooperative economies and other types of economies in accordance with the law, and shall respect and safeguard the operational autonomy of economic organizations in accordance with the law.

Article 9 — The villagers’ committee shall publicize and implement the Constitution, laws, regulations, and State policies, safeguard the lawful rights and interests of villagers, and educate villagers in fulfilling their legal obligations.

Chapter III — Election of Villagers’ Committees

Article 10 — The chairman, vice-chairman, and members of the villagers’ committee shall be directly elected by the villagers. No organization or individual may designate, appoint, or remove members of the villagers’ committee. The term of office of the villagers’ committee is five years, and its members may be re-elected upon expiry of their term.

Article 11 — Villagers who have reached the age of 18 shall have the right to vote and to stand for election, regardless of ethnicity, race, sex, occupation, family background, religious belief, education level, property status, or length of residence, with the exception of persons deprived of political rights in accordance with the law.

Article 12 — The election of the villagers’ committee shall be presided over by a villagers’ election committee. Members of the villagers’ election committee shall be elected by the villagers’ assembly or by each villager group.

Article 13 — A village may recall members of the villagers’ committee where one-fifth or more of the villagers who have the right to vote or one-third or more of the villagers’ representatives jointly propose such recall.

Chapter IV — The Villagers’ Assembly

Article 14 — The villagers’ assembly is the highest organ of authority in the village. The villagers’ assembly shall be composed of villagers of the village who have reached the age of 18.

Article 15 — The villagers’ assembly shall be convened by the villagers’ committee. Where one-tenth or more of the villagers or one-third or more of the villagers’ representatives propose the convening of a villagers’ assembly, the villagers’ committee shall convene such assembly.

Article 16 — Where a village has a relatively large population or where the villagers reside in a scattered manner, villagers’ representative assemblies may be established. The villagers’ representative assembly shall discuss and decide on matters authorized by the villagers’ assembly.

Chapter V — Democratic Management and Supervision

Article 17 — The villagers’ committee shall practice openness in village affairs. Matters that should be made public include: (1) matters discussed and decided by the villagers’ assembly; (2) the use of government subsidies and donations; (3) the income and expenditure of village collective economic income; and (4) other matters concerning the interests of villagers.

Article 18 — Villages shall establish village affairs supervision committees or other forms of village affairs supervision organizations to be responsible for supervising the disclosure of village affairs and the implementation of the villagers’ assembly’s decisions.

Article 19 — The villagers’ committee shall implement an economic responsibility audit system for members of the villagers’ committee. The audit shall be organized by the people’s government at the county level or the people’s government of the township, ethnic township, or town.

Chapter VI — Supplementary Provisions

Article 20 — The standing committees of the people’s congresses of provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the Central Government shall, in accordance with this Law and in light of their respective actual local conditions, formulate measures for the implementation of this Law.

Article 21 — This Law shall come into effect on the date of promulgation.

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