Evening star., 1947-04-13
China Has Big
Balloting Job
Two Hundred Million
Voters Eligible in
First Test
Bv Harold K. Miks

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By Harold K. Miiks
NANKING.-China has real task
ahead to accomplish the announced
aim Of holding a national election
three months prior to the scheduled
beginning Of constitutional govern
ment next Christmas.
1t has two candidates for the task
Of arranging and conducting the
selection OF presidential electors
among half again as many qualified
voters as the total population OF
the United States. These are schol-
arly DR.. Wang Chung hui, former
Judge In the International Court OF
Justice. and dapper, active Hung
Lan-yu, who as secretary general
whipped last years constitutional
assembly through It's PAGES.
Voting Requirements.
Hung, who is attempting to make
physical arrangements for China's
first nationwide vote casting while
DR.. Wang keeps his legalistic mind
on the preparation Of essential elec-
ton laws, says As per cent Of this
country's 4so million people are
qualified to. vote.
The only requirement for casting
. ballot-at' least in theory-is that
a person be q Chinese national Of
40 years Of age or more. Candidates
for election to the National Assem-
bly,. whose main duty kunder the
constitution Is election Of q new
President, must have passed their
23d birthday.
China's election history is scanty
and spotted. It's two experts must
start almost from scratch In their
preparations for enabling more than
20o,0oo,000 Chinese to vote. Past
records show only the election" Of
National Assembly Delegates more
than 10 years ago as an example
Of mass voting in China. However,
in most cases Assembly Delegates
were picked by local Kuomintang
committees, rather than by public
balloting.
Election Date Uncertain.
Hung LAng-yu said he expected
the national election to be held In
all government-controlled provinces
simultaneously on q date to be
selected by the government. Under
the constitution and enabling acts
passed by the National Assembly
this date must be prior to Septem-
Der as.
Thus far only one election fact
has been made plain. Balloting will
be secret, in what national officials
say is the opening move toward COM
pletely democratic government.
Neither DR.. Wang nor Hung will
hazard an estimate of the number of
Chinese who actually will vote, in
directly. for constitutional Presi-
dent. Considering the difficulties of
communications, transportation and
the general lack of interest among
the bulk Of China's people, 1t Is be-
heved far less than 10 per cent Of
the qualified voters will cast ballots.
One-Party Election.
Physical control Of the election
will be in the hands of the provin-
cial and local civil affairs bureaus,
sections Of the Kuomintang-con-
trolled government. All indications
point to virtually one-party elec-
ton. since only the Kuomintang is
organized on scale even approach
ing that of the major parties in the
United States.
Hung estimates the new National
Assembly will consist Of approx
mately 1000 members. Minority
parties-the Young China and Dem
ocratic Socialists-probably will be
represented by allotted blocks of
seats, since they lack the party or
ganization to compete with Kuomin-
tang candidates in open elections.
The two men responsible for set
ting up China's elections make a
sharp and ususual contrast. DR..
Wang Chung-hui, now IS, is a
Yale graduate and has spent many
years Of his life abroad. He speaks
English perfectly and is one of
China's outstanding experts on in
ternational law.
Hung. nearly 40 years younger
than his associate, Is China educated
and speaks no English. Yet, In ap-
pearance, he resembles a New York
broker rather than a Chinese official.
During the National Assembly his
well-cut clothing was the envy Of
most western-garbed Chinese. As
deputy secretary general of the Kuo-
miitang, Hung has become the
party's expert on organization and
administration, the man who gets
things done. His associates some
times refer to him as American
rather than Oriental because of his
direct thought and speech. Be-
tween them, the two make q perfect
team for the task they face.