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Local legislative outreach office in Shanghai puts whole-process people’s democracy in great practice
By Zhang Yi, People’s Daily
Developing whole-process people’s democracy is one of the essential requirements of Chinese modernization. Shanghai, while building itself into a modern socialist metropolis, has integrated whole-process people’s democracy into its urban development, trying to set a great example for practicing whole-process people’s democracy.
Recently, a discussion on a draft revision to China’s Charity Law was hosted in a community cafeteria along the Hongqiao Road, Changning district of Shanghai, joined by a number of local residents. This cafeteria was designated as a meeting room for view seeking on legislation by the local legislative outreach office of Hongqiao sub-district.
The local legislative outreach office of Hongqiao sub-district was established in 2015 by the Legislative Affairs Commission of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, one of the earliest in the country. It enables citizens to take part in the country’s legislation just near their homes.
The office has solicited public opinions for a number of laws, including a draft amendment to the Individual Income Tax Law and a draft amendment to the Law on the Protection of Minors.
In particular, it heard 64 opinions from the local residents on the draft amendment to the Individual Income Tax Law and submitted 25 to its superior department. Three were adopted finally. With regard to the draft amendment to the Law on the Protection of Minors, the office solicited 67 public opinions and submitted 50 of them, including 9 that were adopted.
Zhu Guoping, who runs a community service studio in Changning district, has been working in Hongqiao sub-district for decades. She became an “information officer” of the local legislative outreach office when it was established, and joined opinion collection for many draft revisions to laws.
Zhu said the local legislative outreach office needs to turn legal terms into easy language, so that residents can make suggestions centering on the laws being discussed. Besides, it also needs to turn public opinions, which are mostly colloquial, into precise legal expressions.
The office is where the public and professionalism merge. Its first discussion was on a draft version of counter domestic violence law. At the beginning of the discussion, participating residents were confused by legal terms involved, such as “statutory agent” and “law-based.”
“They might not understand legal terms, but they have rich life experiences,” said Wu Xinhui, director of a law firm in Shanghai. She has joined three such discussions, during which her task was to “translate” legal terms into popular language. According to her, participating residents would always become talkative as soon as they found, through her paraphrasing, that the legal terms were actually about everyday affairs.
As the view seeking on legislation sees higher and higher public enthusiasm and draws wider and wider participation, the opinions received have become more targeted. Both the number and quality of opinions are on a rise, and the local residents are getting more sense of fulfillment and higher satisfaction of livelihood.
As of this January, the local legislative outreach office of Hongqiao sub-district had solicited public opinions on a total of 78 laws and submitted 1,926 opinions to its superior department. Among them, 163 were adopted.
By Fabian Apechihin
The 2026 Constitution Amendment Bill has moved to the state level following its consideration by the National Assembly, paving the way for state legislatures to consider the proposed amendments.
The development comes amid renewed attention on constitutional reform and ongoing discussions over proposed changes to Nigeria’s governing framework.
Meanwhile, the House of Representatives has defended FCT Minister Nyesom Wike over allegations surrounding borrowing by the Federal Capital Territory Administration.
House spokesperson Akin Rotimi Agbese, speaking in an interview with Channels Television, rejected claims that Wike had undertaken borrowing without the knowledge or approval of the National Assembly.
Agbese said the FCT minister could not independently create a sovereign borrowing obligation, stressing that public borrowing is subject to constitutional, statutory and administrative procedures.
“Wike has committed no infraction in borrowings. There is no basis for the allegation that he has been borrowing money behind the back of the National Assembly,” Agbese said.
He explained that borrowing to finance infrastructure was not unlawful where the required approvals and procedures had been followed.
“Borrowing for infrastructure development is not unlawful in itself, provided the prescribed approvals and procedures are followed,” he added.
The House spokesperson further argued that an increase in the FCT’s debt profile should not automatically be interpreted as evidence of illegal borrowing, citing the scale of infrastructure projects being undertaken in Abuja under Wike.
According to Agbese, the key issue is whether the appropriate approvals were obtained for specific borrowing transactions, rather than simply whether the FCT’s overall debt profile has increased.
The comments come as scrutiny continues over public borrowing, infrastructure financing and the legal procedures governing government debt at both the federal and sub-national levels.
By Fabian Apechihin
The 2026 Constitution Amendment Bill has moved to the state level following its consideration by the National Assembly, paving the way for state legislatures to consider the proposed amendments.
The development comes amid renewed attention on constitutional reform and ongoing discussions over proposed changes to Nigeria’s governing framework.
Meanwhile, the House of Representatives has defended FCT Minister Nyesom Wike over allegations surrounding borrowing by the Federal Capital Territory Administration.
House spokesperson Akin Rotimi Agbese, speaking in an interview with Channels Television, rejected claims that Wike had undertaken borrowing without the knowledge or approval of the National Assembly.
Agbese said the FCT minister could not independently create a sovereign borrowing obligation, stressing that public borrowing is subject to constitutional, statutory and administrative procedures.
“Wike has committed no infraction in borrowings. There is no basis for the allegation that he has been borrowing money behind the back of the National Assembly,” Agbese said.
He explained that borrowing to finance infrastructure was not unlawful where the required approvals and procedures had been followed.
“Borrowing for infrastructure development is not unlawful in itself, provided the prescribed approvals and procedures are followed,” he added.
The House spokesperson further argued that an increase in the FCT’s debt profile should not automatically be interpreted as evidence of illegal borrowing, citing the scale of infrastructure projects being undertaken in Abuja under Wike.
According to Agbese, the key issue is whether the appropriate approvals were obtained for specific borrowing transactions, rather than simply whether the FCT’s overall debt profile has increased.
The comments come as scrutiny continues over public borrowing, infrastructure financing and the legal procedures governing government debt at both the federal and sub-national levels.
By Fabian Apechihin
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has reaffirmed its intention to contest the 2027 presidential election despite the decision of Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike, to support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election bid.
The party said Wike’s decision was personal and did not alter its position to participate in the presidential election with its candidate, Senator Sandy Onor. PDP National Publicity Secretary, Jungudo Haruna Mohammed, made the clarification on Wednesday.
According to the party, a recent conversation between Wike and Onor should not be interpreted as a political negotiation between the minister and the PDP.
“He told Nigerians that Sandy is his friend. And they only had a friendly discussion within the umbrella of friendship. So, that is just a personal discussion between him and his friend,” Mohammed said.
He added that Wike’s support for Tinubu did not prevent the PDP from fielding candidates for the presidential, governorship and legislative elections.
Wike had earlier clarified that his support in 2027 was specifically for Tinubu’s presidential re-election and did not amount to an agreement that the PDP would withdraw from other electoral contests. He also said he never promised that the PDP would abandon its candidates for governorship, National Assembly and State House of Assembly elections.
“I said I will support the President from day one. I never told Mr President I will join APC,” Wike said.
The minister also maintained that his proposed Rainbow Coalition was not an arrangement with the All Progressives Congress (APC), but rather a platform through which politicians from different parties could mobilise support for Tinubu’s re-election.
The issue has generated disagreement with some APC governors, who have expressed concern about a political arrangement that could affect the party’s candidates at other levels.
APC Progressive Governors’ Forum Chairman, Hope Uzodinma, said the governors would not support any alliance or arrangement that could weaken the APC or adversely affect its candidates.
Meanwhile, APC presidential campaign council spokesperson Ima Niboro has urged Wike and APC governors to end their public exchanges and concentrate on political mobilisation.
“When I said tone down the rhetoric, I do not mean stop working. Stop talking, go and work,” Niboro said.
He urged political leaders to strengthen their grassroots structures and engage directly with voters rather than continue exchanging statements in the media.
“All this shouting is not taking anybody anywhere. Go and work. Go and establish your authority on your political base,” he said.
2026 Constitution Amendment Bill Moves to States
2026 Constitution Amendment Bill Moves to States
2027: PDP Insists on Presidential Contest Despite Wike’s Support for Tinubu
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