China’s Xi Jinping on Sunday secured a path to rule
indefinitely as parliament abolished presidential term limits,
handing him almost total authority to pursue a vision of
transforming the nation into an economic and military
superpower.
The move reverses the era of “collective” leadership and orderly
succession that was promoted by late paramount leader Deng Xiaoping
to ensure stability following the turbulent one-man rule of
Communist China’s founder Mao Zedong.
The historic constitutional amendment cleared the rubber-stamp
parliament with 2,958 in favour, two against, three abstentions and
one invalid vote, despite an unusual bout of online criticism that
censors have scrambled to extinguish.
Xi stood up first at the imposing Great Hall of the People in
Beijing to cast his paper ballot in a red box, as delegates of the
National People’s Congress applauded after each vote on the
constitutional amendment to lift the two five-year term limit for
the presidency.
The first constitutional amendment in 14 years had been expected
to breeze through the legislature, which has never rejected a
Communist Party diktat in its half-century of existence.
“This is the urgent wish of the common people,” Ju Xiuqin, a
delegate from northeastern Heilongjiang province, told AFP, echoing
party claims that lifting term limits had the unanimous support of
“the masses”.
But the vote sparked some negative comments on Twitter-like
Weibo, with one user defying censors to write “we’re over” while
another said “we are back in the Qing Dynasty”, referring to
China’s last imperial era.
The package of amendments included major provisions to inscribe
Xi’s eponymous political mantra in the constitution, give the
Communist Party an even larger role in the country’s affairs and
expand the president’s anti-corruption campaign.
Xi, 64, has consolidated power since 2012 when he was appointed
to the country’s top office: general secretary of the Communist
Party.
While the position has no term limits, his two predecessors both
gave it up after two terms as part of an orderly process
established by Deng.
– ‘Soft coup‘ –
The country’s presidency is a largely ceremonial office, but the
constitutional limits meant Xi would have had to give it up in
2023.
But with the new amendments, he could now have a lifetime to
push his goal of turning China into a global economic powerhouse
with a “world-class” military by mid-century.
His rise has been accompanied by tighter restrictions on civil
society, with the detention of activists and lawyers, and stricter
limits on the already heavily controlled internet.
At the same time, he gained a measure of popularity among
Chinese people through a relentless crackdown on corruption that
has punished more than a million party officials, and sidelined
potential rivals.
“I think that during the past five years, he has been carrying
out a soft coup, including making the Politburo a mere figurehead,”
Chinese political commentator Wu Qiang told AFP, referring to the
25-member Communist Party body one level under the ruling
council.
“He wants to prevent power from falling into the hands of
technocrats like Jiang (Zemin) and Hu (Jintao),” Wu said, referring
to Xi’s two predecessors.
The Communist Party has argued that the move merely aligns the
presidency with the limit-free titles of party secretary and
military chief.
Shen Chunyao, chairman of the legislature’s legal affairs panel,
brushed aside a foreign reporter’s question about fears that a
return to one-man rule could spark a power struggle, telling a
press conference: “Those assumptions, guesses and extrapolations
don’t exist.”
– Secret path –
The party has claimed that “the masses” unanimously called for the
removal of term limits.
But the proposal was kept secret until it was revealed in a
state media report on February 25, a week before the legislature’s
opening session.
The party later disclosed that Xi had presided over a meeting of
the Politburo in September during which the leadership decided to
revise the constitution.
The party then sought proposals and opinions, culminating in a
decision in late January to introduce constitutional amendments at
the NPC.
“Xi Jinping has presided over so many important projects such as
economic reforms and the fight against corruption. There was a
consensus that we supported him having more time to finish his
work,” said Dou Yanli, a delegate from eastern Shandong
province.
Activists fear that removing term limits may lead to a further
tightening of already strict controls on media, civil society and
religion, as Xi tries to impose his highly ideological vision of
socialism on every aspect of society.
Since the move was first announced, online censors have blocked
phrases and words such as “I disagree” and “emperor” and the image
of Winnie the Pooh, the cartoon bear to which Xi has been
compared.
Beijing-based activist Hu Jia, who says authorities forced him
to leave the capital during the congress, called the amendment
“illegal”.
“Xi asked all people to obey the constitution, and then used the
amendment to place himself above it,” he said. “He used the
constitution as the ultimate legal weapon that binds officials and
all citizens.”
China’s Xi Jinping on Sunday secured a path to rule
indefinitely as parliament abolished presidential term limits,
handing him almost total authority to pursue a vision of
transforming the nation into an economic and military
superpower.
The move reverses the era of “collective” leadership and orderly
succession that was promoted by late paramount leader Deng Xiaoping
to ensure stability following the turbulent one-man rule of
Communist China’s founder Mao Zedong.
The historic constitutional amendment cleared the rubber-stamp
parliament with 2,958 in favour, two against, three abstentions and
one invalid vote, despite an unusual bout of online criticism that
censors have scrambled to extinguish.
Xi stood up first at the imposing Great Hall of the People in
Beijing to cast his paper ballot in a red box, as delegates of the
National People’s Congress applauded after each vote on the
constitutional amendment to lift the two five-year term limit for
the presidency.
The first constitutional amendment in 14 years had been expected
to breeze through the legislature, which has never rejected a
Communist Party diktat in its half-century of existence.
“This is the urgent wish of the common people,” Ju Xiuqin, a
delegate from northeastern Heilongjiang province, told AFP, echoing
party claims that lifting term limits had the unanimous support of
“the masses”.
But the vote sparked some negative comments on Twitter-like
Weibo, with one user defying censors to write “we’re over” while
another said “we are back in the Qing Dynasty”, referring to
China’s last imperial era.
The package of amendments included major provisions to inscribe
Xi’s eponymous political mantra in the constitution, give the
Communist Party an even larger role in the country’s affairs and
expand the president’s anti-corruption campaign.
Xi, 64, has consolidated power since 2012 when he was appointed
to the country’s top office: general secretary of the Communist
Party.
While the position has no term limits, his two predecessors both
gave it up after two terms as part of an orderly process
established by Deng.
– ‘Soft coup‘ –
The country’s presidency is a largely ceremonial office, but the
constitutional limits meant Xi would have had to give it up in
2023.
But with the new amendments, he could now have a lifetime to
push his goal of turning China into a global economic powerhouse
with a “world-class” military by mid-century.
His rise has been accompanied by tighter restrictions on civil
society, with the detention of activists and lawyers, and stricter
limits on the already heavily controlled internet.
At the same time, he gained a measure of popularity among
Chinese people through a relentless crackdown on corruption that
has punished more than a million party officials, and sidelined
potential rivals.
“I think that during the past five years, he has been carrying
out a soft coup, including making the Politburo a mere figurehead,”
Chinese political commentator Wu Qiang told AFP, referring to the
25-member Communist Party body one level under the ruling
council.
“He wants to prevent power from falling into the hands of
technocrats like Jiang (Zemin) and Hu (Jintao),” Wu said, referring
to Xi’s two predecessors.
The Communist Party has argued that the move merely aligns the
presidency with the limit-free titles of party secretary and
military chief.
Shen Chunyao, chairman of the legislature’s legal affairs panel,
brushed aside a foreign reporter’s question about fears that a
return to one-man rule could spark a power struggle, telling a
press conference: “Those assumptions, guesses and extrapolations
don’t exist.”
– Secret path –
The party has claimed that “the masses” unanimously called for the
removal of term limits.
But the proposal was kept secret until it was revealed in a
state media report on February 25, a week before the legislature’s
opening session.
The party later disclosed that Xi had presided over a meeting of
the Politburo in September during which the leadership decided to
revise the constitution.
The party then sought proposals and opinions, culminating in a
decision in late January to introduce constitutional amendments at
the NPC.
“Xi Jinping has presided over so many important projects such as
economic reforms and the fight against corruption. There was a
consensus that we supported him having more time to finish his
work,” said Dou Yanli, a delegate from eastern Shandong
province.
Activists fear that removing term limits may lead to a further
tightening of already strict controls on media, civil society and
religion, as Xi tries to impose his highly ideological vision of
socialism on every aspect of society.
Since the move was first announced, online censors have blocked
phrases and words such as “I disagree” and “emperor” and the image
of Winnie the Pooh, the cartoon bear to which Xi has been
compared.
Beijing-based activist Hu Jia, who says authorities forced him
to leave the capital during the congress, called the amendment
“illegal”.
“Xi asked all people to obey the constitution, and then used the
amendment to place himself above it,” he said. “He used the
constitution as the ultimate legal weapon that binds officials and
all citizens.”
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