On the Inspection of the
Election Movement at All Levels
Resolution of the Central Executive Committee
(December 1, 1932)
It has been almost two months since the Central Committee announced on Sep-tember 20 that governments at all levels are to carry out reelections of the
various governments in accordance with election regulations.¹ Results of examination of the reelections are as follows:
1. Not a single *xian* has completed the election process according to Direc-tive No. 16.
2. The election campaign at all levels has been peaceful, without the use of
struggle to rouse the masses to participate in the elections.
3. The election campaign has been kept separate from the current urgent
military tasks. Either all war mobilization has been dropped for the elections, or
the reelection campaign has been postponed because of being occupied with the
work of mobilization for battle. (For example, in Wantai the reelection was put
off until after bonds had been issued.)
4. There has been failure to observe election regulations, making do by
appointing deputies without going through election by voters. Class-alien
elements and those who have turned over a new leaf have even been appointed to serve as deputies (for example, at the Huichang *xian* congress of
deputies).
5. On the provincial and *xian* levels, perfunctoriness and passivity have been
manifested toward the election campaign.
Judging by the situation as described above, this election campaign has been a
complete failure. It is a clear indication that governments at all levels have failed
to recognize from a political standpoint that the reelections and strong local
soviet governments constitute an important foundation in leading the masses of
workers and peasants to smash the enemy's all-out offensive. In addition, it even

This text first appeared in *Hongse Zhonghua*, no. 43, December 5, 1932. We have translated it from that version, because a number of characters are missing in the version
reprinted in *Mao Zedong ji*, Vol. 3, pp. 169-72.
more blatantly reveals the bureaucratism of soviet governments at all levels in
carrying out instructions and orders.
The Central Executive Committee holds that strong local soviet governments
will create a powerful lever for leading the masses of workers and peasants to
smash the enemy's all-out attack. At the same time, on the basis of the fact that
in the past during the first, second, and third stages of the war² there were
class-alien elements hidden in soviet organizations and serious incidents occurred such as people turning traitor, it has been decided to carry out strict
surveillance of this election campaign. Any [election] that does not conform to the
following regulations³ shall be declared invalid and a new election shall be held.
1. Elections held without mobilizing the broad masses to participate in voting
assemblies.
2. Those elected are not approved or supported by the majority of voters. (For
example, in many places recently, a list of names was put forward prior to the
election, which was first approved by the higher authorities before it was presented
to the voting body. This usurpation of power goes against the voters' sentiments.)
3. Those elected are not the most revolutionary or most active members of
the worker-peasant masses. (For example, deserters or those who are not enthusiastic in doing all sorts of day-to-day work.)
As for reelections and the regulations in Directive No. 16, where reelections
are in order but have not taken place, they should be conducted immediately.
Especially to make this reelection campaign a broad movement to mobilize the
masses, to carry out the emergency war mobilization, and to fortify leadership
organizations to smash the enemy's all-out attack, it is necessary to carry out the
following work in the elections.
1. In elections in the cities and the townships, extensive political mobilization
work should be undertaken among the masses. Its content is as follows:
a. Appeal to the masses on the basis that in order to ensure the thorough
application of the labor laws and land laws, everyone must actively participate in the election campaign, to establish a strong government that is truly
capable of enforcing all laws.
b. Make the worker-peasant masses understand that the Soviet Government is their own government, and that if bad people are elected to do the
work, they cannot work for the common good.
c. Suffrage is the right of the workers and peasants. Those who have the
right to vote may attain many rights and privileges. Rich peasants, landlords,
and capitalists have been deprived of the right to vote, which is why the
landlords get no land, the rich peasants get poor land, and the capitalists have
no status. People should not give up their rights.

2. From the standpoint of political mobilization, first it should be announced
to the masses in every village and every street, the labor unions, poor peasant
leagues, and so on, that all organizations are to hold meetings to discuss the
question of elections, so that each member of the masses knows that this town or
this village needs to advance and understands the importance of the elections.
When the time comes, everyone will participate in the elections on his own
initiative.

3. Using the right to supervise elections, the masses should be mobilized to
struggle against undercover rich peasants and class-alien elements and to participate actively in the elections.

4. Elections should be carried out not only in strict compliance with the
procedures set out in the election statutes, but also in the spirit of examining the
work, especially by mobilizing the masses to criticize the past work of the
deputies and governments in terms of examining all laws for guaranteeing the
interests of the worker-peasant masses, to oppose bureaucratism, and to choose
carefully the people they wish to represent them.

5. Make use of the election campaign and election assemblies to make reports on, or hold discussions of, the Central Committee's emergency mobilization decree, awaken the enthusiasm of the masses, and engage in war
mobilization.

6.4 In the perspective of carrying out thoroughly the Labor Law and the Land
Law and establishing a strong and powerful government, make the masses realize that the enemy's all-out offensive is aimed at toppling the Soviet Government
and putting the landlords and capitalists back in power to oppress the workers
and peasants. Raise the class consciousness of the masses and their determination to fight the enemy, and struggle to the end to defend the benefits gained
through agrarian revolution and protect the Soviet Government.

7. Congresses of deputies at the district and xian levels must be based on the
successful outcome of the urban and township election campaigns. District and
xian deputies' congresses should do away with all formalism, and take as their
content the examination of past work and discussion of all laws and of ways to
execute the emergency war mobilization. Resolutions should not be long, but
rather realistic and concrete.

8. Committee members should not be elected lightly. Special attention should
be given to electing more workers, farm laborers, coolies, women, and poor and
middle peasant cadres. At the same time, there should be rectification of the
mistake of looking at class background only formalistically and not paying attention to combining class background with an investigation of work capability and
credibility among the masses.

9. After the district and xian elections, all other staff members should be
subjected to strict scrutiny in terms of class background and day-to-day work.

Class-alien elements and those who engage in work slowdowns should immediately be replaced.
The Central Committee instructs provincial and xian governments to carry out
rigorously the above resolution. In addition, the various inspectors and work
teams are in charge of supervising the election campaign everywhere, and the
election campaign and the strengthening of local soviets should be viewed as an
inseparable part of the execution of the emergency mobilization order.

Chairman
Vice-Chairmen
Mao Zedong
Xiang Ying
Zhang Guotao
--- Notes

¹ See above, "On the Problem of Continuing the Reform of Local Soviet Governments," September 20, 1932.


2. I.e., the first three campaigns of "Encirclement and Suppression."

3. The wording here is clearly faulty: the intended meaning is "any election that does
not conform to regulations in the following respects should be declared invalid."

4. Here twenty-three characters are missing in the Mao Zedong ji version.