The Chinese president will no longer be constrained by the term limits that were imposed after Mao Zedong’s tenure.
Surprising absolutely nobody, China’s rubber-stamp parliament voted in favor of a measure to change the constitution and repeal presidential term limits, essentially allowing President Xi Jinping to stay in power indefinitely. The National People’s Congress said that 2,958 of the votes cast—or 99.8 percent of the 2,964 votes cast— were in favor of the change. Only two people voted against the move, three abstained, and there was one spoiled ballot. “The identifies of the five dissenters is—and will almost certainly remain—a mystery,” notes the Guardian .
“I can now announce that the proposals to amend the constitution of the People’s Republic of China has passed,” an announcer said, starting what would be a 20-second round of applause from the people who voted to do away with one of the signature moves set up after Mao Zedong’s tenure. Now the move officially makes Xi the most powerful Chinese leader since Mao himself.
