问 题
被申请人不服行政复议决定，能否申请行政复议或提起行政诉讼？
结 论
被申请人即便不服行政复议决定，也应当履行；其不能申请行政复议，亦不能提起行政诉讼。同时，根据《地方各级人民代表大会和地方各级人民政府组织法》《云南省行政复议规定》，以及《最高人民法院关于复议机关是否有权改变复议决定请示的答复》，县级以上人民政府作为行政复议机关作出错误的行政复议决定的，可以由其上级政府责令改正，亦可以由其自行改正。
分 析
（一）被申请人即便不服行政复议决定亦应当履行
《行政复议法》第三十一条第三款规定，“行政复议决定书一经送达，即发生法律效力。”第三十二条第一款规定，“被申请人应当履行行政复议决定。”第二款规定，“被申请人不履行或者无正当理由拖延履行行政复议决定的，行政复议机关或者有关上级行政机关应当责令其限期履行。”
（二）被申请人不能就行政复议决定再行申请行政复议
《行政复议法》第五条及《行政诉讼法》第四十五条均规定，公民、法人或者其他组织对行政复议决定不服的，可以在规定时间内向人民法院提起行政诉讼。这里规定的有权提起行政复议的主体，是行政相对人或利害关系人，或者说是行政复议的申请人，而不是作出被申请行政复议的行政行为的行政机关或者说被申请人。在被申请人不能提起行政诉讼的情况下，被申请人的救济权利如何实现？当前我国行政复议制度设计中，实行的是一级复议制度，并无任何法律规定对行政复议决定不服的还可以向复议机关的上一级行政机关再行申请类似于上诉审的行政复议。司法实践中，最高人民法院公布的李荣新再审审查与审判监督行政裁定书【（2019）最高法行申5170号】同时明确，行政复议机关对一个行政行为只能作出一次复议决定，复议申请人对行政复议决定不服的，同样不能向同一行政复议机关重复申请行政复议。
（三）被申请人不能就行政复议决定提起行政诉讼
1.被申请人不具有行政诉讼原告主体资格
如前所述，行政复议程序中的被申请人不具有行政诉讼原告主体资格。司法实践中，海南高院在东方市公安局与东方市人民政府行政复议二审行政裁定书【（2015）琼行终字第77号】中亦持有同样观点：“行政诉讼的原告必须是在行政管理活动中处于被管理者地位的公民、法人或者其他组织，被申请人、行政复议机关在行政管理活动中始终处在管理者的地位，而不是被管理者的地位。因此，他们不能成为行政诉讼的原告。”
2.被申请人与行政复议决定不具有行政法上的利害关系
《行政诉讼法》第二十五条第一款规定，“行政行为的相对人以及其他与行政行为有利害关系的公民、法人或者其他组织，有权提起诉讼。”被申请人是否可主张其与行政复议决定具有利害关系，进而具有原告主体资格？根据最高人民法院公布的栗国杰、张河生与鲁山县人民政府再审行政裁定书【（2017）最高法行再77号】、刘广明与张家港市人民政府再审行政裁定书【（2017）最高法行申169号】中对“利害关系”作出的判定，根据学界对“利害关系”归纳的要点，所谓利害关系，指起诉人的可诉权益受到被诉行政行为的直接影响，该种影响致使起诉人权益增加、减少或受到限制。行政复议决定中对“利害关系”作出的判定，实质上是对被申请人作出的具体行政行为进行评价，该评价仅实际影响行政相对人或利害关系人即申请人的权利义务。一般情形下，行政复议程序是本级人民政府对其工作部门或者下级人民政府所作行政行为的监督与纠错程序，其所作出的行政复议决定实际上并未使被申请人本身权益增加、减少或受到限制。因此，被申请人与行政复议决定并不具有行政法上的利害关系，无权就行政复议决定提起行政诉讼。
（四）若确有行政复议错案，行政复议机关可以自行改正，上级行政复议机关也可启动纠错程序
《地方各级人民代表大会和地方各级人民政府组织法》第七十三条第（三）项规定，县级以上的地方各级人民政府有权改变或者撤销下级人民政府的不适当的决定、命令。《云南省行政复议规定》第四十八条第一款规定，“本级人民政府、上级人民政府或上级部门，对于下级行政复议机关的行政复议错案，有权依照《宪法》、《组织法》的有关规定，向该行政复议机关送达《撤销行政复议错案责令重审通知书》，撤销该行政复议决定，并责令其重新审理，或者责令其自行撤销并重新审理。必要时，也可以撤销后直接提审，或在职权范围内，指定其他行政复议机关重新审理。”第四十八条第二款规定，如果撤销或重新审理，在客观上无实际意义的，或者如果撤销或重新审理，将给国家利益或者社会公共利益造成重大损失的，则不撤销行政复议决定，但应向该行政复议机关发送《确认行政复议错案告知书》，责令其总结经验，吸取教训，并追究直接责任人的责任。同时，根据《云南省行政复议体制改革实施方案》《昆明市行政复议体制改革实施方案》，除海关、金融等实行垂直领导的行政机关以及税务、国家安全机关外，县级以上人民政府只保留一个行政复议机关，由本级人民政府统一行使行政复议职责，政府部门不再承担行政复议职责。因此《云南省行政复议规定》第四十八条中的“本级人民政府、上级人民政府或上级部门”自行政复议体制改革后应当不再包含“上级部门”，即在云南省各级行政复议机关层面，由县级以上人民政府统一行使行政复议职责，上一级或再上级行政复议机关可以对下级行政复议机关办理的错案启动纠错程序。另外，《最高人民法院关于复议机关是否有权改变复议决定请示的答复》【[2004]行他字第5号】明确，“行政复议机关认为自己作出的已经发生法律效力的复议决定有错误，有权自行改变。”最高人民法院在郴州市北湖区鲁塘镇仁和村民委员会第十村民小组、郴州市人民政府再审审查与审判监督一案【（2019）最高法行申1550号】中据此认为，“郴州市人民政府撤销下级人民政府不适当决定和改变自己作出的错误复议决定，有事实和法律依据，并无不当。”因此，县级以上人民政府作为行政复议机关作出错误的行政复议决定的，可以由其上级政府责令改正，亦可以由其自行改正。
文章观点如有不妥，敬请批评指正。
Helper | If Refuses to Accept the Administrative Reconsideration Decision, Can the Respondent Apply for Administrative Reconsideration or File an Administrative Lawsuit?
Issue
If refuses to accept the administrative reconsideration decision, can the respondent apply for administrative reconsideration or file an administrative lawsuit?
Conclusion
Even if refuses to accept the administrative reconsideration decision, the respondent also should perform and cannot apply for administrative reconsideration or file an administrative lawsuit. According to the Organic Law of the Local People’s Congresses and Local People’s Governments, Provisions of Administrative Reconsideration in Yunnan Province and “Reply of the Supreme People's Court on Whether the Administrative Organ for Reconsideration Has the Power to Change the Reconsideration Decision”, if a people's government at or above the county level, as an administrative reconsideration organ, makes an incorrect administrative reconsideration decision, it may be ordered by the government at a higher level to correct, or it may correct itself.
Analysis
1. The respondent shall perform even if refuses to accept the administrative reconsideration decision
Article 31, paragraph 3 of the Administrative Reconsideration Law provides that “Once administrative reconsideration decision is served, the decision is instantly legally effective.” Article 32, paragraph 1 provides that “The respondent shall perform the administrative reconsideration decision.” Paragraph 2 provides that “If the respondent does not perform or delays performing the administrative reconsideration decision without due reasons, the administrative reconsideration organ or relevant higher administrative organ shall order the respondent to perform the decision within a limited time.”
2. The respondent cannot apply for administrative reconsideration again for the administrative reconsideration decision
Article 5 of the Administrative Reconsideration Law and Article 45 of the Administrative Litigation Law both provide that if refuses to accept an administrative reconsideration decision, any citizen, legal person or other organization can file an administrative lawsuit in the People's Court within a specified period of time. The subjects who have the right to file an administrative reconsideration is the administrative counterpart or interested party, or the applicant for administrative reconsideration, rather than the administrative organ had undertaken the administrative act for which administrative reconsideration is applied or the respondent. How can achieve respondent's right to remedy when the respondent cannot initiate administrative litigation? In the current design of China's administrative reconsideration system, the system of one-level reconsideration is implemented. There is no law which provides that those who refuse to accept the decision of administrative reconsideration can apply to the next higher level administrative organ of the reconsideration organ for another administrative reconsideration similar to the appeal. In judicial practice, the Supreme People's Court published Li Rongxin administrative ruling on reconsideration and trial supervision [(2019) Supreme Court Administrative Appeal No. 5170] also explicit that the administrative reconsideration organ can only make one reconsideration decision on an administrative act. If the applicant for reconsideration refuses to accept the administrative reconsideration decision, likewise cannot apply for repeated administrative reconsideration to the same administrative reconsideration organ.
3. The respondent cannot file an administrative lawsuit due to the administrative reconsideration decision
（1）The respondent does not have the subject qualification to be the plaintiff of administrative litigation
As mentioned above, the respondent in the administrative reconsideration process does not have the subject qualification to be the plaintiff of administrative litigation. In judicial practice, the Hainan High Court holds the same view in the administrative ruling of the second instance of administrative reconsideration between the Dongfang Municipal Public Security Bureau and the Dongfang Municipal People's Government [(2015) Qiong Administrative Final No. 77] that "The plaintiff of administrative litigation must be a citizen, legal person or other organization in the position of being managed in the administrative management activities. The respondent and the administrative reconsideration organ are always in the position of the manager, rather than be managed. Therefore, they cannot be the plaintiff of administrative litigation."
（2）The respondent does not have a stake in the administrative law with the administrative reconsideration decision
Article 25, paragraph 1 of the Administrative Litigation Law provides that "A person subjected to an administrative action and any other person who is a citizen, a legal person or any other organization with a stake in the administrative action shall have the right to file a lawsuit." Whether the respondent can claim that it has a stake with the decision of the administrative reconsideration, thus has the subject qualification to be the plaintiff? According to the determination of "stake" made in the retrial administrative rulings of Li Guojie, Zhang Hesheng v. Lushan County People's Government [(2017) Supreme Court Administrative Retrial No. 77] ,and Liu Guangming v. Zhangjiagang Municipal People's Government [(2017) Supreme Court Administrative Appeal No. 169], published by the Supreme People's Court, and according to the main points summarized by the academic community on "stake", the so-called stake refers to the direct impact of the prosecutor's actionable rights and interests on the prosecuted administrative act, which results in the increase, decrease or restriction of the prosecutor's rights and interests. The determination of “stake” in the administrative reconsideration decision is essentially an evaluation of the specific administrative act made by the respondent, which only affects the rights and obligations of the administrative relatives or the interested party, that is, the rights and obligations of the applicant. In general, the administrative reconsideration procedure is a procedure for the people's government at corresponding level to supervise and correct the administrative acts performed by its working departments or the people's government at the lower level, and the administrative reconsideration decision made by it does not actually increase, decrease or restrict the respondent's rights and interests. Therefore, the respondent does not have a stake in the administrative reconsideration decision in terms of administrative law and is not entitled to file an administrative lawsuit on the administrative reconsideration decision.
4. If there are really errors in administrative reconsideration decision, the administrative reconsideration organ may correct it on its own, and the higher administrative reconsideration organ can start the correction procedure
Article 73 (3) of the Organic Law of the Local People’s Congresses and Local People’s Governments stipulates that local people's governments at or above the county level have the power to alter or annul inappropriate decisions and orders of people's governments at lower levels. Article 48, paragraph 1 of the Administrative Reconsideration of Yunnan Province provides that "The people's government at corresponding level, higher people's government or higher department, for the wrong administrative reconsideration case of the administrative reconsideration organ at a lower level, in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Constitution and the Organic Law, have the right to serve the “Notice on Revoke the Administrative Reconsideration of Wrong Case and Order to Retry” to the administrative reconsideration organ, revoke the administrative reconsideration decision and ordered to retry, or ordered to revoke and retry. If necessary, it can also be directly bring up for trial after the revoke, or, within the scope of its functions and powers, designate other administrative reconsideration organ to retry." Paragraph 2 of Article 48 stipulates that if the revocation or retry is objectively meaningless or will cause significant damage to the national interest or social public interest, the administrative reconsideration decision shall not be revoked, but the administrative reconsideration organ shall be sent a “Notice of Confirmation of Wrongful Administrative Reconsideration”, ordering it to sum up experience, draw a lesson and hold the person directly responsible accountable. At the same time, according to the Yunnan Province Administrative Reconsideration System Reform Implementation Plan and Kunming City Administrative Reconsideration System Reform Implementation Plan, in addition to customs, finance and other administrative organs that implement vertical leadership, as well as taxation, state security organ, the people's government above the county level only retains an administrative reconsideration organ, the people's government at corresponding level to unify the exercise of administrative reconsideration duties, government departments no longer assume the administrative reconsideration duties. Therefore, "the people's government at corresponding level, higher people's government or higher department" in Article 48 of the Provisions on Administrative Reconsideration of Yunnan Province should no longer include "higher department" after the reform of the administrative reconsideration system. Namely, at the level of administrative reconsideration organ at all levels in Yunnan Province, the people's government at or above the county level unify the exercise of administrative reconsideration duties. The higher or re-superior administrative reconsideration organ can start the error correction procedure for the wrong cases handled by the lower administrative reconsideration organ. In addition, the “Reply of the Supreme People's Court on Whether the Administrative Organ for Reconsideration Has the Power to Change the Reconsideration Decision” [(2004) Administrative Others No.5] clearly states that "The administrative reconsideration organ believes that its reconsideration decision that has become legally effective is wrong, has the right to change on its own." The Supreme People's Court, in the case of retrial review and trial supervision between the 10th Villager Group of Renhe Villager Committee, Lutang Town, Beihu District, Chenzhou City and the People's Government of Chenzhou Municipality [(2019) Supreme Court Administrative Appeal No. 1550], hold a view that "Chenzhou Municipal People's Government annuls inappropriate decisions made by lower level people's governments and changes its own erroneous reconsideration decisions, which have factual and legal basis and are not inappropriate." Therefore, if the people's government at or above the county level, as an administrative reconsideration organ, makes wrong administrative reconsideration decisions, it can be ordered to correct by its higher level government, also can be corrected by itself.
If there is any inappropriate point in the article, please criticize and correct it.
本期撰稿：汪靖龙、刘力铭
本期译稿：张 川、解 佳
本期编辑：尤 喆
