In China 192 local officials have been punished or sacked for taking bribes in vote-buying and other election scandals during ongoing nationwide elections.

The Organization Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee said in a circular released on Wednesday that it had investigated 121 cases of election irregularities. This had led to the appointments of 613 people being corrected, said the circular.

Elections of local party committees, heads of local people's congresses, local government and advisory bodies were held in 2006 and continue this year.

The Party department said the CPC Central Committee attached great importance to the elections and had ordered officials to be strictly disciplined to ensure a transparent, clean and fair election process.

Teams of inspectors have been sent out across the country to supervise local elections. Some provinces have opened telephone hotlines and websites to invite the public to report corruption and malpractice.

The department said the elections were going well in general and the majority of officials and cadres were highly disciplined. The few officials who did violate rules had a negative impact on the elections, said the circular.

In September last year, Tian Zhongli, former deputy secretary of CPC Changchun municipal committee, was arrested for taking bribes during a local Party election.

Tian, who managed personnel, took US$137,000 from eight lower-level officials between last June and July. The eight officials were later fired and several were put under judicial investigation.

The Organization Department said the ongoing elections were a test of Party principles and of the discipline of Party members and officials. It added that local party committees and organization departments should tighten supervision of the elections, prevent unlawful behavior and severely punish those who violate the rules and disciplines.

By last December, 14 of the 31 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities on the Chinese mainland had completed local Party leadership elections.

(Xinhua News Agency February 1, 2007)