Chinese parliamentarians yesterday resoundingly endorsed leaders’ justification for removing term limits for the state presidency, which will allow Mr Xi Jinping to stay on as president indefinitely..
Chinese parliamentarians yesterday resoundingly endorsed leaders’ justification for removing term limits for the state presidency, which will allow Mr Xi Jinping to stay on as president indefinitely.
The delegates of the National People’s Congress (NPC) applauded as the proposed term-limit amendment was read out by Mr Wang Chen, secretary-general of the current parliamentary session.
“In asking for opinions and researching at the grassroots level, many regions and departments and the vast majority of party members and cadres unanimously called for the revision of the relevant provisions for the term of office of the president,” Mr Wang said.
Among the changes in the proposal presented at the opening of the annual NPC session was one to remove the stipulation that the president and vice-president shall serve no more than two five-year terms.
It noted that the positions of Chinese Communist Party (CCP) general secretary and chairman of the state and party Central Military Commissions – posts that Mr Xi concurrently holds – do not have term limits.
“In adopting the same practice for the position of state president in the Constitution, it would uphold the authority of the party’s Central Committee with comrade Xi Jinping at its core and centralise and unify the leadership,” said the proposal. “This will be beneficial to strengthening and completing the state leadership system.
