合作金融组织社员投票权制度设计

Institutional Design of Members' Voting Rights in a Cooperative Financial Society

合作金融组织不仅是一种富有效率的为社会弱势群体提供金融服务的制度安排,而且是一个培养民主精神和民主技巧的宪政载体。而合作金融组织的民主机制集中体现在社员享有的投票权上。社员投票权制度设计主要包括三个方面,即社员享有投票权的数量、行使投票权的机构和方式。现代合作金融组织在坚持一人一票的基础上,为积极参与合作社交易或者作出贡献的社员提供附加表决权。另外,社员大会成为社员行使投票权的首要选择,并可以社员大会分别召开或者引入电子投票作为有益的补充。同时,社员通过代理方式行使投票权应当受到严格的限制。

In combating financial exclusion, cooperative financial societies play a core role with efficient mutual ownership. A society shall be operated democratically for the object of improving the material living conditions of its members as well as increasing their social and political awareness and techniques. It＇s well known that members＇ voting rights lay the foundation of democratic mechanism. The institutional design of voting rights involves three elements： how many votes a member enjoys, where and how a member exercises his or her vote/votes？ Modern cooperative financial society laws advocate one-man-one-vote principle. Under special circumstances, the laws or the bylaws may provide for the granting of plural voting rights. Plural voting rights shall only be created for members who further the business matters of the society; the general meeting of whole members is the primary choice for voting, which can be supplemented by the delegates meeting or voting on the internet under limited conditions. Generally, every member shall exercise his or her vote in person. However, one member shall be permitted to vote by proxy subject to provisions in legislations or by-laws.