Zhejiang Unveils China’s First Rules on the Examination of Administrative Legitimacy

On January 9, the People’s Government of Zhejiang Provincial announced the Provisions on the Examination of Administrative Legitimacy in Zhejiang Province (“Provisions”), the Provisions shall come into force on April 1, 2023.

The Provisions is the first provincial-level rules on the examination of administrative legitimacy in China, which expands the focus of administrative legitimacy examination to four areas, such as administrative regulatory documents, major administrative decisions, major administrative law enforcement decisions, and administrative agreements. It expands the application of the examination rules to other law-related administrative affairs, and further places the governments of townships, streets, and organizations authorized by laws and regulations to manage public affairs under the administrative legitimacy examination. It also pioneered a “closed-loop and standardized” examination mechanism, clarifying that matters that have not been subject to the legitimacy examination shall not be submitted for deliberation, shall not make a decision, or announced to the public.