Xi Jinping was handed an unprecedented third term as Chinese president on Friday (Mar 10), capping a rise that has seen him become the country’s most powerful leader in generations.
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 to be president in an election where there was no other candidate.
Xi, 69, also received unanimous votes for a third term as chairman of the country’s Central Military Commission.
Zhao Leji, 66, was elected 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.
The stage was set for Xi’s new five-year run after a change to the constitution in 2018 that scrapped term limits.
The vote on Friday was largely ceremonial as Xi had already locked in a historic third term as head of the Chinese Communist Party at a major party congress last October, sealing his place as China’s most powerful ruler since Mao Zedong.
Changes to the country’s leadership take place every five years and usually closely mirror the reshuffle announced at the party congress.