China’s head of state and party leader Xi Jinping is to be confirmed as president this Friday for an unusual third term. At the current annual session of the People’s Congress in Beijing, it was expected that the almost 3,000 hand-picked delegates would vote with an overwhelming majority for the further extension of the term by five years.
At the party conference in October, the 69-year-old defied previously respected age and term limits and had a permanent leadership role enshrined in the party constitution. With his sole rule, he ties in with the founder of the state and revolutionary Mao Tsetung, who, however, had brought chaos to the country.
The week-long annual conference, which lasts until Monday, will see the largest government reshuffle in ten years, with close confidants of Xi Jinping in particular moving up. Former Shanghai party leader Li Qiang is also set to become the new prime minister on Saturday.
