Following the standoff in December 2011 over illegal land sales, protest leader Lin Zulian was named the new Chinese Communist Party Committee Secretary of Wukan.

As part of the truce with authorities, the governor of Guangdong province acquiesced to a village election in Wukan—the first of its kind to employ a secret ballot.

[1] A series of three elections were planned, which would select 100 representatives to oversee the village's governing committee.

[3] According to Wall Street Journal writer Josh Chin, the election appeared to be "free of the Communist Party meddling that typically mars Chinese election results.

[citation needed] The U.S. consul in Guangdong was permitted to observe the election.