Xi Jinping has been re-elected Chinese President by a unanimous vote at the ongoing session of the 13th Chinese National Peoples Congress (NPC), the nation’s legislative body. The re-election that took place on Saturday morning comes just six days after the NPC adopted an amendment in the country’s constitution, which among other things removed term limits for presidents. Xi, 64, was also elected chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC) of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) by a unanimous vote. Right after the election, Xi took a public oath of allegiance to the Constitution in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. This was the first time for a Chinese president to take such an oath upon assuming office. [I pledge to] be loyal to the country and the people, be committed and honest in my duty, accept the peoples supervision and work for a great modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced, harmonious, and beautiful, he said. The session also saw the election of Wang Qishan as the vice president of China, and Li Zhanshu as the chairman of NPC Standing Committee. Both were members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee. The nearly 3,000 lawmakers also elected 14 vice chairpersons and the secretary general of the NPC Standing Committee. Last October, Xi Jinping was elected general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and appointed CMC chairman of the CPC at the first plenary session of the 19th CPC Central Committee. In 2007, Xi joined the central leadership as a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee. He was first elected general secretary of the CPC Central Committee in late 2012, and Chinese President and Central Military Commission (CMC) chairman of the PRC in March 2013.
