Beijing residents have voted to elect a community chief in the first direct election of a neighbourhood committee in the capital.
Almost 2,000 residents of Jiudaowan community - which has a population of 2,700 - in Beijing's Dongcheng district turned up at a polling station on Saturday morning to elect the director of the neighbourhood committee, as well as representatives of the community congress, Beijing media reported.
Cao Jianjun, who has been director of the neighbourhood committee for two years, was announced the winner at 9.30pm.
Out of the 21 representatives elected to the community congress, one was a migrant. Xinhua said the success of the migrant, who holds a temporary residence permit, was evidence that the rights of outsiders in Beijing were finally being recognised.
The turnout was high at 95 per cent. Xinhua said at least 1,813 voters of the 1,990 eligible voters had cast ballots.
Observers said the election was an important step towards introducing grassroots democracy in cities countrywide.