China’s ruling Communist Party has proposed to remove a constitutional clause that limits the service of presidents to two consecutive terms, official news agency Xinhua reported on Sunday.
The party’s Central Committee proposed to remove the expression that the president and vice president of the People’s Republic of China shall serve “no more than two consecutive terms” from the country’s Constitution.
Constitutional reform needs the Parliament’s approval. If it is accepted, the change would pave the way for President Xi Jinping to stay in office indefinitely. As the country’s Parliament is full of members who are loyal to the party, the proposal is not expected to be blocked, according to Reuters .
In October 2017, the Communist Party endorsed Xi for a second five-year term, which will end in 2022. China also broke its tradition by not naming a clear successor to Xi, which has only further strengthened the president’s grip on the country.
The Central Committee also proposed that “Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era” should be inserted into the Constitution, Xinhua reported. Xi’s guiding political ideology has already been written into the Communist Party of China’s constitution, making him the country’s most powerful leader since Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping.
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