China, Iran, and the United States all have very different ways of selecting candidates for their highest respective offices. In this case study, I will examine the systems with which these countries select their leaders. In order to fully understand the election process of a country, one must first grasp the basic power organizations of that country in order to put it into context. Thus, I will first lay out the basic structures of unfamiliar countries before proceeding to process trace the country’s respective approach to the electing leaders. Through process tracing, differences between China, Iran, and the United States election processes are made clear. Ultimately, I make the assessment that processes that allow voter participation do
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China’s election process is oligarchic but holds many values similar to those of a meritocracy. For example, The Organization Department of the CPC is a secretive organization within the CPC that influences the appointments of nearly every position of power within the country (Organization Department of the Communist Party of China). As candidates start in local governments and continue to rise through the ranks to become mayors, governors, or party secretaries of prominent regions, they are closely watched and tested to ensure that they are loyal to the CPC and are performing well. Only after decades of experience can candidates get into the National People’s Congress, the unicameral legislature and in theory the highest organ of power. Congress is held every five years, and theoretically attendees vote on the central committee which in turn votes for the Politburo, the Politburo Standing Committee (PSC), and finally the General Secretary. In reality, party leaders determine the makeup of both the Politburo and PSC before the actual casting of ballots (O’Neil). Although personal connections and patronage ties come into play, the main deciding factor is performance. As a result of these processes, China’s leaders are not only loyal, but also very competent, as they have been closely watched and …show more content…
Candidates that run for president must be approved by the Guardian Council. In other words, the council may reject any candidate they deem to be “unsuitable” for election (O’Neil). According to the constitution, candidates must be of Iranian origin and nationality, resourceful, trustworthy, and Islamic (President of Iran). In the 2013 presidential election, all but eight individuals were disqualified. After approval, presidential candidates compete nationally on country wide ballots for a majority vote; it is a direct election. Thus, in comparison to China, Iran differs in that it grants slightly more political power to its citizens. As a whole, there is an elite authority that determines who qualifies to run for the presidency based off of a degree of experience, personal connections, and ideology. While Iranian presidents are not held to the same standard as those in China, they do not necessarily need to considering the relative weakness of their powers as president in comparison to the powers in other positions of the Iranian
China’s election process is oligarchic but holds many values similar to those of a meritocracy. For example, The Organization Department of the CPC is a secretive organization within the CPC that influences the appointments of nearly every position of power within the country (Organization Department of the Communist Party of China). As candidates start in local governments and continue to rise through the ranks to become mayors, governors, or party secretaries of prominent regions, they are closely watched and tested to ensure that they are loyal to the CPC and are performing well. Only after decades of experience can candidates get into the National People’s Congress, the unicameral legislature and in theory the highest organ of power. Congress is held every five years, and theoretically attendees vote on the central committee which in turn votes for the Politburo, the Politburo Standing Committee (PSC), and finally the General Secretary. In reality, party leaders determine the makeup of both the Politburo and PSC before the actual casting of ballots (O’Neil). Although personal connections and patronage ties come into play, the main deciding factor is performance. As a result of these processes, China’s leaders are not only loyal, but also very competent, as they have been closely watched and …show more content…
Candidates that run for president must be approved by the Guardian Council. In other words, the council may reject any candidate they deem to be “unsuitable” for election (O’Neil). According to the constitution, candidates must be of Iranian origin and nationality, resourceful, trustworthy, and Islamic (President of Iran). In the 2013 presidential election, all but eight individuals were disqualified. After approval, presidential candidates compete nationally on country wide ballots for a majority vote; it is a direct election. Thus, in comparison to China, Iran differs in that it grants slightly more political power to its citizens. As a whole, there is an elite authority that determines who qualifies to run for the presidency based off of a degree of experience, personal connections, and ideology. While Iranian presidents are not held to the same standard as those in China, they do not necessarily need to considering the relative weakness of their powers as president in comparison to the powers in other positions of the Iranian