Xi Jinping Handed Rare Third Term As China's President

The National People’s Congress (NPC) voted on the expected lines ratifying Xi Jinping’s third term, a norm-busting decision making him China's most powerful leader in generations.

Xi Jinping, 69, was re-elected by the once-in-a-five-year Congress of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) as its leader in October last year.

Source : AFP

New Delhi: Chinese President Xi Jinping has been handed a norm-busting third term as President, making him China's most powerful leader in generations. The appointment by Beijing's rubber-stamp parliament comes after he locked in another five years as head of the Communist Party and the military.

China's Parliament on Friday unanimously endorsed an unprecedented third five-year term for President Xi Jinping, news agency PTI reported.

In October last year, the 69-year-old President was re-elected by the once-in-a-five-year Congress of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) as its leader, becoming the first Chinese leader after the party founder Mao Zedong to continue in power beyond the two five-year terms.

China’s legislature, the National People’s Congress (NPC), often described as the rubber stamp Parliament for its mechanical and routine endorsement of the decisions of the CPC, on Friday voted on the expected lines ratifying Xi’s third term.

Xi Jinping is widely expected to continue in power for life.

He has already been elected as the General Secretary of the CPC during the party's last Congress in October 2022, which also elected a new leadership for all its top policy bodies.

This year’s annual session of the NPC is being deemed significant as it heralds a once-in-a-ten-year change of leadership of the Chinese government, including the Premier who presides over the State Council, the Central Cabinet.

The term of the present Premier Li Keqiang will end with this year’s NPC session.

As per PTI, his successor is widely expected to be Li Qiang, a close associate of Xi. Qiang is likely to be elected by the NPC on Saturday.

All the names of the new leadership have been approved by the Plenum of the CPC headed by Xi a few weeks ago. The NPC approval is a routine formality.

The new Premier will address the annual press conference on March 13, the last day of this year’s annual NPC session.