China's top legislature started deliberations on Monday on increasing rural representation in parliament, state media reported today.

Lawmakers are discussing a draft amendment to the Electoral Law which has been submitted to the National People's Congress for the third reading. The amendment calls for urban and rural areas to “adopt the same ratio of deputies to the represented population in elections of people's congress deputies.”

Currently, each rural deputy represents a population four times that of an urban deputy, effectively giving urban areas greater representation. Before the last amendment to the Electoral Law was passed in 1995, the difference was eight times.

Wang Zhaoguo, vice chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, explained that when the law was passed in 1953, the urban population made up only about 13 percent of the population. Last year, that figure rose to 46.6 percent because of rapid urbanization and rural economic development, Wang said.

“The time is right for equal representation,” Wang was quoted by Xinhua as saying. He added that such a move was conducive to expand democracy.

According to AFP, the amendment appears to be a response to the worsening rural-urban wealth gap.

Last year, the rural-urban income ration rose to 3.33:1, which state media said was the widest gap since China adopted opening-up and reform policies in the late 70s.