List of political parties in the People's Republic of China
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Categories: Lists of political parties | People's Republic of China | Politics of the People's Republic of China | Political parties in the People's Republic of China
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The People's Republic of China (PRC) is formally a multi-party state under the leadership of the Communist Party of China in the popular front model similar to the former Communist-era Eastern European countries such as the National Front of Democratic Germany. The dominance over the political system is such that China is effectively a single-party state. This means that only one political party, the Communist Party of China (CCP), holds effective power at the national level. Eight minor parties also participate in the political system under the leadership of the dominant party. The PRC political system does allow for the participation of some non-party members and minor parties within the National People's Congress (NPC), but participants while not being party members themselves are vetted by the CCP. Although opposition parties are not formally banned in mainland China, the CCP maintains control over the political system in several ways. Firstly, the PRC political system is composed of a series of indirect elections in which one people's congress appoints the members of the next higher congress, and in which only the lowest people's congresses are subject to direct popular vote. This means that although independent members can theoretically, and occasionally in practice, get elected to the lowest level of congress, it is impossible for them to organize to the point where they can elect members to the next higher people's congress without the approval of the CCP or to exercise oversight over executive positions at the lowest level in the hierarchy. This lack of effective power also discourages outsiders from contesting the people's congress elections even at the lowest level. Second, although PRC law has no formal provision for banning a non-religious organization, it also has no provision which would give non-CCP political parties any corporate status. This means that a hypothetical opposition party would have no legal means to collect funds or own property in the name of the party. More importantly, PRC law also has a wide range of offenses which can and have been used against the leaders of efforts to form an opposition party such as the China Democracy Party as well as members of organizations which the CCP sees as threatening to its power.[1][2] These include the crimes of subversion, sedition, and releasing state secrets. Moreover, the control that the Party has over the legislative and judicial processes means that the Party can author legislation that targets a particular group. In the Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macau multi-party systems exist, remaining from before their transfer from European colonial territories to integration into the PRC.[3] Currently in effect is a one country, two systems plan by which both SARs have multiple active political parties including opposition parties.[3]
The parties
Underground political parties:
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