Xi Jinping completes rapid transfer of power
New president takes over the reins in a smooth succession that shows he is a strong leader who has settled party power struggles, analysts say
Xi Jinping's formal election as new president yesterday saw him assume full control over the Communist Party, the state and the armed forces in a swift and orderly transfer of power from predecessor Hu Jintao.
Only one of the nearly 3,000 deputies of the National People's Congress who voted in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing opposed Xi's succession. Three abstentions were recorded.
Xi, 59, was also appointed head of the state Central Military Commission, a parallel government post to the party's top military position which he already held after becoming party leader in November. There was also one opposing vote and three abstentions in that election.
Politburo member Li Yuanchao , who is not a member of the party's supreme, seven-member Politburo Standing Committee, was named vice-president, while Zhang Dejiang , a Politburo Standing Committee member, was elected as the new NPC chairman.
The transition of power to Xi was smoother than the one a decade ago, when Hu had to wait for two years to take over as head of the military commission from Jiang Zemin .