(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-01-10 09:58

BEIJING -- With officials at various levels finishing their five-year terms in the first half of this year, Chinese local governments have been urged to take clean-fingered reshuffles as the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee has issued regulations against misconduct.

The Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee has held a working conference to make arrangements for local organization organs during the election period, which is this month. During this period, China will conduct nationwide leadership re-elections and reshuffles of provincial legislatures, governments and political advisory bodies.

Whether local governments could create a clean atmosphere during the re-elections was vitally important, according to an official of the department, as it would have great impact on the quality of the incoming official groups and regional stability.

In a national video conference, the Organization Department and the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) publicized a list to warn government officials against "ten taboos."

Practices such as lobbying officials for promotions, bribing officials to "buy" government jobs and outgoing officials' involvement in promotions are strictly banned.

Local governments at provincial and prefectural levels have actively implemented the CPC Central Committee's regulations and carried out more self-inspection.

Local governments in Shanxi Province, for example, have spread the regulations to relevant bodies at the county level and distributed published explanations to grassroots Party cadres.

In Yangzhou prefecture of eastern Jiangsu Province, the local Party Committee's organization department set up inspection teams to supervise questionable reshuffles.

The Hainan Provincial Party committee ordered the local Party disciplinary organ to cooperate with the organizational body to punish official misconduct in re-elections. It also issued a detailed interpretation of the CPC Central Committee regulation.

The Organization Department also urged local affiliates to pay more attention to reports received by the "12380" informant public hotline and thoroughly investigate serious allegations.

The department said last month that 1,968 officials so far had been penalized for offenses during the reshuffle of local governments, legislatures and political advisory bodies.