This formal re -election unanimously by the approximately 3,000 voting deputies marks the culmination of an ascent which saw Xi Jinping become the most powerful leader of the country for generations.
the world with AFP
No voice is missing. Xi Jinping obtained a third term of Chinese president on Friday, March 10, after a formal vote of deputies. The Parliament in China being, in practice, subservient to the Communist Party (PCC) in power, the outcome of the ballot was no doubt, and the result announced shortly before 11 am local (4 hours in Paris) is final: 2 952 votes for, zero against, zero abstention.
The 69 -year -old leader had already obtained a five -year extension in October at the Summit of the CCP and the Military Commission, the two most important positions of power. Only candidate, he was renewed for the same duration as head of state.
The last months have however been complicated for Xi Jinping, with major demonstrations at the end of November against his “zero covid” policy and an important wave of death that followed the abandonment in December of this health strategy. Sensitive subjects carefully avoided during the current annual session of the Parliament, a very orchestrated event during which Li Qiang, ally of Mr. XI, should become the new Prime Minister to replace Li Keqiang. A new vice-president must also be formally elected Friday by the Parliament, replacing Wang Qishan.
“A vision of China”
MEPs have mainly concentrated in recent days on an institutional reform project aimed at building the Ministry of Science and Technology and Chinese Capacities in Digital, faced with what the government presents as Western “Targling” against China in this sector. The annual parliament session was also an opportunity to announce a modest growth target of around 5 % “for 2023 and a defense budget up.
The formal re -election of Xi Jinping at the top of the State crowns a remarkable political ascent during which he went from political leader little known to the general public to the most powerful Chinese leader in decades.
Author of a biography on the president, the Swiss writer and journalist Adrian Geiges believes that personal enrichment is not his primary motivation. “This is not what interests him,” he told the France-Presse agency. “He really has a vision of China, he wants China to become the most powerful country in the world.”
many challenges
For decades, the People’s Republic of China, scalded by political chaos and the cult of personality during the reign (1949-1976) of its leader and founder Mao Tsé-Toung, had promoted more collegial governance at the top power. By virtue of this model, the predecessors of Xi Jinping, namely Jiang Zemin then Hu Jinta, had each gave their place as president after ten years in this position.