Villagers were not satisfied with the response they had received from officials for the suspension of the election and around 100 of them stayed at the primary school waiting for further explanation.
The hotly contested election centers on a garbage incinerator that started construction in 2009. Pan Zhizhong, considered the most popular candidate among locals, is one of the three people who want to stop the construction of the incinerator in Panguanying.
"I have no intention of staying in power, and whoever can stop the garbage incinerator will get my support," Pan told the Global Times, "I'm just worried a new village chief will support the factory incinerator that could cause serious pollution here."
Pan said his research into the environmental assessment conducted prior to the incinerator's construction found that 36 of the 100 questionnaires sent to seek villagers' opinion were faked.
Thursday's election of village chief was original scheduled for the beginning of 2012.
Tang Jun, a researcher on grass-roots democracy at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times, that many villages are taking local elections very seriously.
"Villagers are demanding their lawful right to vote for candidates who represent their best interests," Tang said.
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