Party gives its version of how Xi Jinping’s plan to change the constitution unfolded
President initiated the process in September and leadership sought opinions and endorsement of party elders, according to official report
A controversial plan to remove the presidential term limit from the Chinese constitution may have been first proposed three weeks before the Communist Party congress in October that confirmed Xi Jinping’s status as the most powerful leader since Mao Zedong.
The leadership also went to a select group of party elders seeking their opinions and endorsement, according to an official report to the legislature on Monday that gave a rare glimpse into the making of the contentious policy change.
Delivering the report, Wang Chen, deputy chief of the National People’s Congress, told nearly 3,000 delegates that the move was initiated by Xi at a meeting of the Politburo, the party’s top echelon of power, on September 29.
Xi set up a task force led by Zhang Dejiang, the parliamentary chief who is about to retire, to spearhead the campaign. Zhang was assisted by two of Xi’s most trusted allies, Li Zhanshu and Wang Huning. Both were elevated to the power apex, the Politburo Standing Committee, weeks later.
Wang also revealed that shortly after the party congress, when it was announced that Xi’s political theory, “Xi Jinping Thought”, would be written into the constitution, Beijing started an internal consultation process to forge consensus and rally support. They collected more than 2,600 opinions from regional cadres and other non-communist political parties, he said.
