Two prominent leaders of land-grab protests in Wukan, Guangdong, were elected village chief and deputy chief yesterday, in a milestone for grass-roots democracy on the mainland.
Land-rights protesters from elsewhere in Guangdong and across the mainland watched the voting, hoping to learn from the historic event and to seize a rare opportunity to voice their own grievances to the international media.
The US consul in Guangzhou, Paul Baldwin, was also allowed to watch the proceedings.
Lin Zuluan and Yang Semao emerged as the people's choices in the most transparent and liberal village election yet seen.
People in the remote fishing village in the province's east began casting their ballots to elect a seven-member village committee at 9am in the playground of Wukan Primary School.
Lin won 90 per cent of the votes for village committee chief. He had led the villagers' fight to elect a new village committee and for the return of the body of Xue Jinbo, a protest leader who died in custody in December. Lin was appointed Wukan's party secretary in January after villagers struck a deal with the government following a months-long stand-off.