Beijing: Xi Jinping was unanimously elected president of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC) on Friday at the ongoing session of the 14th National People’s Congress.
Nearly 3,000 members of China’s parliament, the National People’s Congress (NPC), voted unanimously in the Great Hall of the People for Xi, 69, to be president in the election.
The voting lasted for about an hour, and the electronic counting was completed in about 15 minutes.
Over the next two days, officials approved by President Xi are set to be appointed to fill top positions in the cabinet, including premier-in-waiting Li Qiang, who is expected to be named to China’s No.2 post, putting him in charge of managing the world’s second-largest economy.
Xi will make a speech on Monday before the annual parliamentary session closes, as China faces multiple challenges, including an economy hobbled by three years of COVID curbs and worsening ties between it and the West.
The parliament also elected Zhao Leji, 66, as the new parliament chair and Han Zheng, 68, as the new vice president. Both men were from Xi’s previous team of party leaders at the Politburo Standing Committee.
