BEIJING: The Communist Party of China (CPC), the world's largest governing party, has launched the process of electing delegates to its 21st national congress, which is scheduled to be held in Beijing in the second half of 2027.
An official from the Organisation Department of the CPC Central Committee has explained why the election matters, how it will be organised and what standards eligible candidates must meet. Here is what to know about the election.
The 21st CPC National Congress comes at a critical time as the CPC works towards basically realising socialist modernisation and the Second Centenary Goal. It will be a highly important meeting and an event of great political significance for both the Party and the country, as a new CPC Central Committee and a new CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection will be elected.
The 2,360 delegates to be elected should be outstanding Party members who carry the trust of more than 101 million CPC members and over 5.4 million Party organisations as they fulfil their duties at the congress.
The successful election of delegates and the completion of all tasks at the congress are vital to consolidating the Party's long-term governing position and enabling it to fully exercise its role as the leadership core. They are also closely linked to the prosperity and long-term stability of the Party and the country.
The election should be a process of studying and implementing Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, particularly Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building.
Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, has attached great importance to ensuring that the election is conducted properly. He has heard multiple reports on the matter and presided over meetings of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, at which a circular on the election was deliberated and adopted.
The key to ensuring the success of the election is upholding the Party's overall leadership and the centralised, unified leadership of the CPC Central Committee.
Emphasis must be placed on examining candidates' political stance and awareness, as well as their capacity for political judgement, thinking and implementation. Their integrity and conduct must also be subject to strict scrutiny.
The delegates elected should have a well-balanced composition and be broadly representative, drawing from a wide range of fields, including the economy, science and technology, national defence, law enforcement and the justice system, education, public communication, culture, health, sports and social administration. They should also include workers in new forms of employment.
Front-line workers should account for an appropriate proportion of the delegates. Among delegates from provincial-level regions, central financial institutions and central state-owned enterprises in Beijing, Party members working on the front line should generally account for at least one-third. Among delegates from central Party and state departments, the proportion should generally be no less than 15 per cent.
In regions where the new economy and new forms of business are thriving and there are large numbers of workers in new forms of employment, outstanding Party members from among these workers should also be recommended as candidates. Particular attention should be paid to recommending model workers, farmers and professionals as candidates. Women Party members and Party members from ethnic minority groups should each make up a certain proportion of the delegates.
Political, organisational and electoral disciplines must be strictly observed throughout the election process, with efforts made to prevent vote-buying and other electoral violations, while strengthening oversight and enforcement.
The electoral procedure consists of five steps: nomination of candidates, assessment of nominees by electoral units, formation of a preliminary list of candidates, formation of a preparatory list of candidates, and formal election.
The delegates will be elected through a process in which the number of candidates must exceed the number of available seats by more than 15 per cent. Those elected will be vetted by a qualification review committee before the national congress. - Xinhua/ANN
