Judges and public prosecutors will have to pass a national judicial qualification exam before holding a post in judicial organs, according to draft amendments to the laws on judges and prosecutors.

The two draft amendments are now under legislative scrutiny by national legislators attending the 21st session of the Ninth National People’s Congress Standing Committee.

“It is a major step to help promote the professional quality of judges and public prosecutors,” said legislator Chen Mingshu during panel discussion of the national legislators yesterday.

“The examination will also help improve judicial fairness and efficiency when the judges and public prosecutors become more capable,” Chen added.

The national bar examination, which was put in place in 1986, will be incorporated into the national judicial qualification examination, according to the draft legislations.

The exam will be organized by the Supreme People’s Court, the Supreme People’s Procuratorate and the Ministry of Justice.

But legislator Nie Li argued that it is better to require the National People’s Congress to organize such an examination because judicial organs are chosen by the top legislative body.

In other developments, the national legislators decided to designate September 7 every year as the National Defence Education Day, which will be written in the draft national defence education law.

The draft law is expected to be passed on Saturday when the session ends.

(China Daily 04/27/2001)