新疆自古以来就是多民族聚居的地方，目前有56个民族。不论人口多少、发展程度高低、宗教信仰差异，新疆各族人民都具有同等地位，依法享有相同权利，履行相同义务，公民的政治权利得到了充分保障。

　　民族区域自治制度得到贯彻落实。民族区域自治制度的确立，为新疆各族人民在维护国家统一原则下，充分行使自治权利，自主管理地方事务，平等参与管理国家事务提供了有力的制度保障。自治区立法机关根据宪法和法律，既享有普通省级行政区地方立法权，又享有根据本区域政治、经济和文化特点制定自治条例、单行条例的立法权。截至2016年年底，自治区人民代表大会及其常委会共制定区域特色的地方性法规372件，其中现行有效的地方性法规153件，作出法规性决议、决定52件，批准设区的市、自治州、自治县报批的单行条例和地方性法规113件。

Xinjiang has been home to numerous ethnic groups since remote antiquity, and there are now 56 ethnic groups residing on this vast piece of land. Irrespective of their size of population, degree of development, and religious faith, the people of all Xinjiang's ethnic groups enjoy the same status and the same rights, and must fulfill the same obligations in accordance with the law. Their political rights as citizens are fully protected.

The system of regional ethnic autonomy is in place. Based on the principle of safeguarding national unity, the system of regional ethnic autonomy provides a strong institutional guarantee for the ethnic groups of Xinjiang to exercise their right of autonomy, administer their own local affairs, and participate as equals in administering state affairs. According to China's Constitution and relevant state laws, the legislature of the autonomous region, while enjoying the legislative power entitled to provincial-level administrative divisions as prescribed by law, has the power to enact regulations on the exercise of regional autonomy and other particular regulations in line with the local political, economic and cultural conditions. By the end of 2016, the autonomous regional people's congress and its standing committee had formulated in total 372 local regulations (including 153 already in effect), passed 52 regulatory resolutions and decisions, and approved 113 separate regulations and other regulations submitted by the various cities, autonomous prefectures or autonomous counties.

　　选举权和被选举权得到充分保障。在新疆，年满18周岁公民依法享有选举权和被选举权。依照宪法与法律规定，各族人民直接选举县（市、区）、乡（镇）人民代表大会代表，在此基础上又选举出全国和自治区、州（市）人民代表大会代表。第十二届全国人民代表大会共有新疆代表60名，其中少数民族代表38名，占63.33%。第十二届新疆维吾尔自治区人民代表大会共有代表550名，其中少数民族代表363名，占66%。

　　协商民主稳步推进。在协商民主的制度框架内，自治区各级政协积极创新协商形式、丰富协商内容、搭建协商平台，广泛吸收各族各界人士参政议政，初步形成了宽领域、多层次、常态化的协商民主格局。各级政协委员深入调研，踊跃提交提案，积极反映社情民意，主动进行民主监督。第十二届全国政协委员中，住新疆的有31名，其中少数民族委员18名，占58.1%。第十一届新疆维吾尔自治区政协有委员479名，其中少数民族委员228名，占47.6%。截至2017年3月，第十一届新疆维吾尔自治区政协共提交提案4920件，涉及政治、经济、文化、教育、科技等领域。

The right to vote and right to be elected are fully protected. In Xinjiang, as elsewhere in China, citizens aged 18 or above enjoy the right to vote and the right to be elected in accordance with the law. As the Constitution and relevant state laws prescribe, people of all ethnic groups in the autonomous region directly elect deputies to the people's congresses at county (city or urban district) and township (town) levels, and these deputies then elect deputies to the prefecture (prefecture-level city) people's congress, the people's congress of the autonomous region, and the National People's Congress (NPC). The 12th NPC has a total of 60 deputies from Xinjiang, of whom 38 (63 percent) are from ethnic minority groups. The 12th People's Congress of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region is formed by 550 deputies, of whom 363 (66 percent) are of ethnic minority origins.

Steady progress has been observed in consultative democracy. Within the institutional framework of consultative democracy, the CPPCC (Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference) organizations at all levels in the autonomous region have actively innovated the forms, enriched the content and developed platforms of consultation to encourage more extensive participation and administration of state affairs by people from all ethnic groups and all walks of life, thus bringing into place initially a wide-ranging and multi-tiered regular framework of consultative democracy. Members of CPPCC organizations at all levels have conducted in-depth research and drafted bills that actively reflect social conditions and public opinion; they constantly pursue initiatives to facilitate democratic scrutiny. Among members of the 12th CPPCC National Committee, 31 come from Xinjiang, of whom 18 (58 percent) are members of ethnic minorities. The 11th CPPCC of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region has 479 members, of whom 228 (48 percent) are members of ethnic minorities. As of March 2017, the 11th CPPCC of Xinjiang had submitted a total of 4,920 proposals covering politics, the economy, culture, education, science and technology and other fields.