China's Premier Wen Jiabao called for open and democratic village elections in comments published Sunday, after unfair polls were part of the reason behind a rebellion against officials in south China.
Residents in Wukan village in the southern province of Guangdong faced off with authorities for more than a week in December in a row over land and corruption and won rare concessions including pledges to hold free village polls.
China -- a one-party state where top leaders are not elected by the people -- nevertheless allows villagers across the country to vote for a committee to represent them, but the process is often tainted with corruption and scandal.
Wukan residents said their leaders had never before allowed these polls to go ahead in an open fashion, and instead selected members of the village committee behind closed doors.
"For direct village committee elections to go well, the most basic thing is to have strict laws and regulations and... also have open, fair and transparent procedures," Wen told residents in another Guangdong village.
"Because if there is no procedural democracy, then there is no real democracy," he said as he toured parts of the province on Saturday after travelling there with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Wen, widely considered one of the more progressive leaders in authoritarian China, has on several occasions said China must seek political reform.
In September, Wen promised to make efforts "to guarantee and perfect democracy", and last March, he urged "gradual" political reform in comments similar to ones he made in the summer of 2010.
However analysts said he was just paying lip service to reform and democracy favoured by the party, which maintains an iron grip on political power and has not lessened its crackdown on dissent.
In his Sunday comments, Wen said China opposed acts such as corruption or family influence influencing direct village elections -- part of the grievances held by Wukan residents.
On Wednesday, the rebel villagers kicked off a key process towards holding their first-ever democratic vote by choosing members of an independent election committee made up of 11 villagers.
These will not be allowed to run for next month's village election, due on March 1.
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