Hu Jintao yesterday suggested a revision to the current electoral ratio of deputies to people's congresses - the country's legislative bodies.

Hu proposed that "both urban and rural areas gradually adopt the same ratio of deputies to the represented population in elections of deputies to people's congresses."

He made the proposal at the opening ceremony of the 17th Party Congress, while addressing the cause of socialist democracy in his political report.

Currently, the number of urban deputies to people's congresses generally outnumbers those from rural areas. In the latest round of the National People's Congress, the ratio of urban deputies to their constituents was around four times the ratio of rural deputies to their constituents.

Hu's proposal comes amid increasing calls for balancing the deputies' ratio to make the legislative body better represent all of Chinese people.

Hu said it must be ensured that deputies to people's congresses "exercise their functions and powers in accordance with the law and maintain close ties with the general public".

He also pledged to strengthen standing committees of people's congresses and improve their membership composition in terms of intellectual background and age.

(China Daily 10/16/2007 page6)