The impact of village elections cannot be denied. Elections, however, have not
done away with several constraints that continue to impede democratic rule.
Members of village committees may win their position through the ballot box, but
once they gain office they still must take into account (and often compete with)
township governments, village Party branches, and social forces, such as clans,
religious organizations, and criminal gangs. In an ongoing struggle for power and
legitimacy, tensions often arise between village committees and officials at the lowest
rung of the state hierarchy, Party organs that remain the locus of power in a village,
and societal groupings that possess their own sources of authority.
村の選挙のインパクトも否定できない。しかし選挙から民主的ルールを妨げ続ける制約が排除されたわけではない。村の委員会のメンバーは投票箱でその地位を獲得できるが、オフィスを持ったら区政、村の党支部、氏族や宗教組織などの犯罪組織などの社会的勢力を考慮しなければならない（そしてしばしばそれらと闘うことも）。権力や合法性との絶え間ない闘いにおいては、村の委員会と役人との間で国家ヒエラルキーの最下層レベル、村の勢力拠点に残る政党組織、そして独自の権力源を持つ社会的グループとの間で緊張が生じることがしばしばある。
