First city community poll

　PEOPLE living in a downtown Beijing residential area cast their votes Saturday in the first ever democratic multi-candidate election of a local community chief and officials.More than 2,700 residents from 1,145 households in the Jiudaowan Community of Beijing’s Dongcheng District gathered at a school playground early Saturday to elect a new director of the neighborhood committee. Also standing were deputies to the community congress, both self-governing bodies for Chinese city dwellers.Nine committee members and 21 representatives have been elected by the residents.Neighborhood committees in cities have similar roles and functions to the village committees in China’s vast rural areas. However, while the Chinese Government has exerted efforts to promote free and direct village elections in the past 12 years, the election of urban community officials was usually conducted by a few “representatives of residents.”For millions of people who move to Beijing from other areas, and now live and work there, it was the first time they have been allowed to exercise the right of casting votes in the area in which they live.There are more than 2,400 neighborhood committees in Beijing.Beijing Civil Affairs officials are planning an ambitious endeavor next year to hold a large scale community council member election.(SD-Xinhua)