Xi Jinping gets endorsed as President of China for record third term

Xi, 69, has now emerged as China’s most dominant leader in decades, rivalling in stature the iconic Mao Zedong.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping was on Friday endorsed by hand-picked Communist party elites for an unprecedented third term as president in a ceremonial vote at the Great Hall of the People. With this, 69-year-old Xi has emerged as China’s most dominant leader in decades, rivalling in stature the iconic Mao Zedong.

Xi Jinping takes oath after being unanimously elected as President during a session of China's National People's Congress in Beijing on Friday. (AP Photo)

The Chinese leader received 2,952 votes, a unanimous endorsement of his presidency, at a choreographed event during the ongoing session of China’s rubber-stamp parliament –the National People’s Congress (NPC). There was no other candidate.

Xi was also endorsed as the chairman of the powerful Central Military Commission (CMC). Since Mao, who held the title of Chairman, Chinese leaders’ tenures had been limited to two terms. That changed five years ago.

The CPC amended its Constitution to remove the two-term presidential limit in March 2018, paving the way for Xi to continue in his office for life; he was designated the “core” of the party in 2016.

More than his presidency, a ceremonial position in China’s politics, Xi’s power stems from his position as the general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC), to which he was reappointed at the 20th CPC Congress last October.

Xi’s CMC chairmanship gives him complete control over China’s vast military apparatus, including the largest standing army in the world.

“Xi Jinping, newly elected president of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and chairman of the Central Military Commission of the PRC, made a public pledge of allegiance to the Constitution at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Friday,” official news agency Xinhua said in a report.

Since taking over as the CPC general secretary in 2012, he has gradually concentrated power in his hands, used the party apparatus to build a cult of personality around himself and, according to China watchers, made strategic use of his anti-corruption campaign to purge existing and potential rivals.

He also filled critical party positions with allies and loyalists, many of whom he had worked with at some juncture of his career.

Unlike in the past, there’s also no expected succession plan after Xi, further cementing the speculation that he will remain leader for life.

When the CPC’s new leadership was unveiled last October the question of his successor remained unanswered.

“I dispute the conventional view that Xi Jinping struggles for power for power’s sake,” Alfred L Chan, author of a book on Xi’s life, told AFP.

“I would suggest that he strives for power as an instrument...to fulfil his vision.”

The NPC on Friday also appointed Zhao Leji as the ceremonial body’s head and Han Zheng as the country’s vice-president – both are members of the seven-member Standing Committee of the CPC politburo.

Li Qiang, a Xi ally and member of the Standing Committee, is set to be confirmed on Saturday as Premier, taking over from outgoing Premier Li Keqiang, who will manage the economy.

Other appointments, including vice premiers and central bank governor, are expected over the weekend.

The ongoing NPC session will end on Monday, March 13, when Xi will deliver a speech, followed by a media question-and-answer session by Li, his first as China’s Premier.