18 March, 2023: Xi Jinping- President for the third term ! What do you need to know about him and Chinese politics ? Read to know more.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping has been announced the President of China for his third term.
All 2,952 of the current members of the National People's Congress(NPC) voted in favor of Mr. Xi's reappointment, with neither of them withdrawing nor voting against it.
Xi Jinping is also the General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the Chairman of the Central Military Commission. He has been the leader of China since 2012, when he succeeded Hu Jintao as General Secretary of the CPC.
This week's NPC session has highlighted the scope of Mr. Xi's unquestioned authority and the return of one-man rule to China, even if his election was a predetermined conclusion because he was previously named General Secretary of the ruling Communist Party in October 2022 for a third term.
Mr. Xi received support to lead the influential Central Military Commission (CMC). Chinese leaders have only been in office for two terms total since Mao Zedong, who held the title of Chairman. Over five years ago, that changed.
In March 2018, the CPC revised its Constitution to eliminate the two-term presidential limit, enabling Mr.Xi to hold the position for the rest of his life. He was named the "core" of the party in 2016.
More than being president, which is merely a ceremonial post in Chinese politics, Mr. Xi's influence comes from his role as the Communist Party of China's (CPC) general secretary, which he was reelected to at the 20th CPC Congress in October.
Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao, Mr. Xi's predecessors left office after ten years in office, and the NPC lifted the two-term restriction five years later.
He has increasingly consolidated power since becoming CPC general secretary in 2012, utilized the party infrastructure to attract followers and, in the opinion of China observers, strategically deployed his anti-corruption campaign to eliminate current and potential challengers.At that time, it also approved Mr. Xi's and his allies' nominations for the top jobs for the following five years.
Another 2,952-0 vote saw the appointment of Han Zheng, the former vice premier, as vice president. Two additional Xi supporters were also selected, also without opposition, to lead the NPC and the CPPCC, the upper and lower houses of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.
Unlike in the past, there isn't believed to be a succession plan after Mr. Xi, which strengthens the notion that he would hold the position of leader indefinitely.
