Election Procedures Set For CPC National Congress Personnel Reshuffle

2007-10-18

The 17th National Congress of the Communist Party of China will first hold a primary election before a final ballot to choose members of a new CPC central committee and its discipline commission, the presidium of the congress decided Wednesday in Beijing.

The 237-member presidium to oversee the congress held its second meeting at the Great Hall of the People Wednesday afternoon, and adopted the electoral procedure that has been in practice since the 13th party congress in 1987, Xinhua was informed.

The presidium meeting, presided over by Hu Jintao, endorsed a proposed name-list of nominees for the candidates of members and alternate members of the central committee, and members of the central discipline commission. The name-list will be submitted to all delegations to the congress for consideration.

A name-list of ballot scrutineers was also accepted by the presidium, and will be ratified by the congress before the final vote begins.

Zeng Qinghong, secretary-general of the congress, briefed the presidium on the name-list of nominees.

In addition, the presidium adopted draft resolutions on the report made by Hu Jintao on behalf of the 16th CPC Central Committee, the report of the Central Discipline Commission and amendments to the party constitution. The resolutions are to be submitted to delegates for consideration.

The presidium represents people of different aspects, consisting of members of the Political Bureau of the 16th CPC Central Committee, retired party veterans, leading officials of ministries and provincial-level localities, military officers and grassroots party members.

Among the presidium are 29-year-old table tennis Olympic champion Wang Nan, China's first astronaut in space Yang Liwei, outstanding female judge Song Yushui, and "National Model Worker" bridge crane-driver Xu Zhenchao.

The personnel reshuffle is one of the most important agenda of party congress. The CPC party constitution rules that all elections should be carried out through secret ballot.

The primary election system was first introduced into party congress in 1956 when the 8th national party congress was held. Then at the 13th national congress in 1987, the differential voting system was adopted.

At that congress, five percent of nominees lost in the primary election for candidates of members of central committee, and 12 percent of nominees lost in the election for candidates of alternate members.

The margin of elimination in the vote of the 14th and 15th national congresses were not released. The 16th party congress, however, recorded a margin of elimination at a little more than five percent.