President Xi Jinping has become China’s leader-for-life as the country’s rubber-stamp parliament voted to amend today the Constitution to remove decades old two-term limit for the president.
About 3,000 deputies in the National People’s Congress (NPC) – China’s legislature – voted on the amendment to remove the term limit for the President and Vice President.
“Every one of us on the NPC Standing Committee approves and supports amending Constitution,” Chairman of the NPC, Zhang Dejiang, said in his work report.
The NPC, regarded as the rubber stamp Parliament for its routine approval of CPC proposals, approved the move with an overwhelming vote.
The term limits were being followed by the party leaders for over two decades to avert a dictatorship on the lines of party founder Chairman Mao Zedong and to ensure collective leadership in the one-party state.
Xi is already regarded as the most powerful leader of China after Mao as he held the posts of head of the CPC, the military and the Presidency, which is mostly ceremonial.