Elections in the People's Republic of China are based on a hierarchical electoral system, whereby local People's Congresses are directly elected. All higher levels of People's Congresses up to the National People's Congress (NPC), the national legislature, are indirectly elected by the People's Congress of the level immediately below. The NPC Standing Committee may partially alter laws passed by the NPC when the NPC is not in session, which is significant since the Standing Committee meets more frequently than the NPC. Governors, mayors, and heads of counties, districts, townships and towns are in turn elected by the respective local People's Congresses. Presidents of people's courts and chief procurators of people's procuratorates are elected by the respective local People's Congresses above the county level. The President and the State Council are elected by the National People's Congress, which is made up of 2980 people. Elections in China occur under a single-party political system. Elections occur only at the local level, not the national level. China is among few contemporary party-led socialist governmental systems to not hold any direct elections at the national level. The competitive nature of the elections is highly constrained by the Communist Party of China's monopoly on power in China, limitations on free speech, and government interference with the elections. According to Rory Truex, "the CPC tightly controls the nomination and election processes at every level in the people's congress system... the tiered, indirect electoral mechanism in the People's Congress system ensures that deputies at the highest levels face no semblance of electoral accountability to the Chinese citizenry." Electoral system Direct elections People's Congresses of cities that are not divided into districts (), counties (), city districts (), towns (), townships (), and lastly ethnic townships (), are directly elected. Additionally, village () committee members and chairpersons are directly elected. Local People's Congresses have the constitutional authority to recall the heads and deputy heads of government at the provincial level and below. Local People's Congresses Under the electoral law of 1 July 1979, nomination of candidates for direct elections (in counties, townships, etc.) can be made by the CPC, the various other political parties, mass organizations, or any voter seconded by at least 10 other voters. The final list of electoral candidates must be worked out through "discussion and consultation" or primary elections, which in practice is conducted by an election committee in consultation with small groups of