10.03.2023
The 69-year-old ruler was the only candidate for the job and received the full backing of the legislature, becoming China’s most powerful leader in decades.
Xi Jinping obtained this Friday (10.03.2023) a historic third term as president of China after a formal vote by the country’s legislative body, which ratifies his status as the most powerful leader in decades.
The result of the vote by the deputies, announced shortly before 11:00 a.m. (03:00 GMT), was final: 2,952 votes in favor, zero against, and no abstentions.
It was not an unexpected result given that the parliament is in practice subjugated to the Communist Party (CCP), which in October already re-elected him for another five years as secretary general and head of the army, the two most powerful posts in the country.
The only candidate for the position, the 69-year-old leader received a new term as head of state, a position he has held since 2013.
The last few months have been difficult for Xi, with large demonstrations at the end of November against his “covid zero” policy and a wave of deaths after abandoning this strategy in December.
These sensitive issues were dodged during the annual session of Parliament, a carefully choreographed event in which Xi’s ally Li Qiang is expected to replace Li Keqiang as prime minister.
“containment” policy
The National People’s Congress (NPC) meeting in Beijing must also formally elect a new vice president to replace Wang Qishan.
The deputies concentrated in these days on an institutional reform project that aims to strengthen the Ministry of Science and Technology and the capacities of China in the digital sector.
Xi established developing these sectors as a priority in search of self-sufficiency for China in the face of what Beijing sees as a “containment” policy from the West to hinder its development.
The APN annual session was also the occasion to announce a modest growth target of “around 5%” in 2023 and a increase in the military budget.
Xi’s formal re-election as head of state marks the remarkable political rise of a once little-known policymaker who has become the most powerful Chinese leader in decades.
mg (afp, efe)