Chinese voters overwhelmingly ‘re-elect’ Obama

More than 200 Chinese citizens stepped up to a mock ballot box on Wednesday, overwhelmingly “re-electing” US President Barack Obama while reflecting ruefully on the lack of multi-party democracy in China.

The world’s two biggest economies are choosing their leaders around the same time, a quirk of timing that highlights the stark contrast between China’s secretive communist system and America’s boisterous democracy.

The “voters” were among several hundred Chinese who were invited to join American citizens in the balloting at an election party organised by the US embassy. Obama emerged the landslide winner with 153 votes to 51.

“It is unfortunate that China cannot have elections like this,” a beaming He Jiangtao told reporters after casting his vote.

“As long as the Communist Party is in power, it is unlikely that China will ever have democratic elections,” said He, a marketing consultant.

While Obama was re-elected to another term before the eyes of the world, China will choose its next leaders behind closed doors at its five-yearly party congress that opens in Beijing on Thursday.

At the week-long congress, President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao will step down from their top party posts to make way for a new leadership to take the reins of the world’s most populous nation for the next decade.