Article 10 The Party is a unified whole organized in accordance with its program and constitution and guided by the principle of democratic centralism. The basic principles of the Party’s democratic centralism are:

　　(1) Party members shall subordinate themselves to Party organizations; the minority shall subordinate itself to the majority; lower-level organizations shall subordinate themselves to higher-level organizations; and all Party organizations and all Party members shall subordinate themselves to the National Congress and the Central Committee of the Party.

　　(2) All Party leadership bodies at every level, with the exception of representative bodies dispatched by them and Party groups within non-Party organizations, are elected.

　　(3) The Party’s highest leading organs are the National Congress of the Party and the Central Committee elected by it. The Party’s leading organs at all local levels are the local congresses of the Party at corresponding levels and the committees elected by them. The Party committees at all levels are responsible to and report their work to the congresses at the corresponding levels.

　　(4) Higher-level Party organizations shall regularly solicit the views of lower-level organizations and Party members and the general public, and promptly address the issues they raise. Lower-level Party organizations, while seeking instructions from and reporting their work to higher-level organizations, shall also independently and responsibly handle matters within their own spheres of responsibility. Between upper- and lower-level organizations, there shall be mutual exchange of information, mutual support, and mutual oversight. Party organizations at all levels shall, in accordance with regulations, practice transparency in Party affairs, so that Party members have greater access to and participation in internal Party matters.

　　(5) Party committees at all levels shall implement a system that combines collective leadership with individual division of responsibilities. All major issues must be deliberated and decided by the party committee in accordance with the principles of collective leadership, democratic centralism, individual consultation, and decision-making at meetings; committee members shall conscientiously fulfill their respective duties in light of the collective decisions and the division of labor.

　　(6) The Party prohibits all forms of personality cult. It is essential to ensure that the activities of Party leaders are subject to the oversight of the Party and the people, while at the same time safeguarding the prestige of all leaders who represent the interests of the Party and the people.

　　Article 11: The selection of delegates to Party congresses at all levels and the formation of Party committees at all levels shall reflect the will of the electors. Elections shall be conducted by secret ballot. The list of candidates shall be thoroughly deliberated and discussed by Party organizations and the electors. Direct election may be carried out using a proportional representation system in which the number of candidates exceeds the number of seats to be filled. Alternatively, a preliminary election may first be held using the proportional representation system to produce a list of candidates, followed by a formal election. Electors have the right to obtain information about the candidates, to request changes to the candidate list, to vote against all candidates, and to nominate other persons. No organization or individual may, by any means, compel electors to vote for or against any particular person.

　　In the elections for party congresses at all local levels and at the primary level, if any violation of the Party Constitution occurs, the next higher-level party committee, after investigation and verification, shall make a decision to declare the election invalid and to take appropriate measures, and shall submit such decision to the party committee one level above for review and approval before formally announcing its implementation.

　　Delegates to Party congresses at all levels serve fixed terms.

　　Article 12. The Party’s central and local committees at all levels may, when necessary, convene representative conferences to discuss and decide on major issues that require prompt resolution. The number of delegates to such conferences and the procedures for their selection shall be determined by the committee convening the conference.

　　Article 13: The establishment of any new Party organization or the dissolution of any existing Party organization must be decided by the higher-level Party organization.

　　During the intervals between sessions of local party congresses at all levels and primary-level party congresses, the higher-level party organization may, when it deems necessary, transfer or assign the heads of lower-level party organizations.

　　The Party’s central and local committees at all levels may dispatch representative organs.

　　Article 14 The Party’s Central Committee and the committees of provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the central government shall implement a system of inspection tours, achieving full coverage of Party organizations in the localities, departments, enterprises, and public institutions under their jurisdiction within the term of each leadership.

　　Relevant central ministries and commissions, as well as the Party leadership groups (Party committees) of state organs, shall conduct inspection tours as required by their work.

　　The Party committees at the city (prefecture, prefectural-level city, league) and county (city, district, banner) levels shall establish a system of inspection tours.

　　Article 15: In making decisions on important matters that concern lower-level organizations, Party leadership bodies at all levels shall, as a general rule, solicit the views of those lower-level organizations. It shall be ensured that lower-level organizations are able to exercise their functions and powers in a normal manner. With regard to matters that should be handled by lower-level organizations, unless there are special circumstances, higher-level leadership bodies shall refrain from intervention.

　　Article 16: With regard to major policy issues of national significance, only the Party Central Committee has the authority to make decisions. Party organizations in all departments and localities may submit proposals to the Central Committee, but they may not, on their own initiative, make decisions or publicly express views on such matters.

　　Lower-level Party organizations must resolutely implement the decisions of their superior organizations. If a lower-level organization believes that a decision of its superior organization does not conform to the actual conditions of its locality or department, it may request that the decision be revised; however, if the superior organization insists on the original decision, the lower-level organization must implement it and may not publicly express dissenting views, though it retains the right to report the matter to the next higher-level organization.

　　The newspapers and other propaganda outlets of Party organizations at all levels must publicize the Party’s line, principles, policies, and resolutions.

　　Article 17: When Party organizations deliberate and make decisions, they must adhere to the principle of majority rule. For important matters, a vote shall be held. The dissenting views of the minority shall be carefully considered. If a dispute arises over an important issue and the numbers on both sides are closely balanced, except in emergency situations where the decision must be made in accordance with the majority opinion, the decision should be postponed pending further investigation and study, exchange of views, and a subsequent vote; in special circumstances, the details of the dispute may also be reported to the higher-level organization for adjudication.

　　When a Party member, acting in the name of the Party organization, puts forward important proposals that go beyond the scope of the organization’s existing decisions, such proposals must be submitted to the relevant Party organization for discussion and decision, or reported to the higher-level Party organization for instruction. No Party member, regardless of rank or position, may make major decisions on his or her own; if, in an emergency, an individual must make a decision, he or she shall promptly report the matter to the Party organization afterward. No leader is permitted to act in a personally autocratic manner or to place himself or herself above the organization.

　　Article 18: The Party’s central, local, and primary-level organizations must all attach great importance to Party building, regularly discuss and examine the Party’s work in propaganda, education, organization, disciplinary inspection, mass work, the United Front, and other areas, and pay close attention to studying the ideological and political situation both within and outside the Party.